The electricity bill for March billing was announced today.
Measures to reduce the burden on electricity bills will reduce the average household bill by about 1,600 to 1,800 yen compared to the January bill, but electricity bills are expected to rise again in many areas after this spring.
Under these circumstances, power-saving goods, solar panels, price plans are reviewed.
There are many ways to save electricity bills.
1,600 yen to 1,800 yen drop from billing in February
As a measure to reduce the burden on electricity bills, the government will subsidize 7 yen per kilowatt-hour for households who use electricity in January and are billed in February. The price will be reduced by 1600 to 1800 yen compared to the billed amount.
The major utilities released average household electricity bills on Wednesday for February usage and March billing, which was the same as the previous month for all utilities.
Electricity tariffs are listed below in descending order.
▽Chubu Electric Power 7,369 yen
▽ Tokyo Electric Power 7,306 yen
▽ Hokkaido Electric Power 7,252 yen
▽ Okinawa Electric Power 7,027 yen
▽ Tohoku Electric Power 6,745 yen
▽ Chugoku Electric Power 6,209 yen
▽ Shikoku Electric Power 6,095 yen
▽ Kansai Electric Power 5,677 yen
▽ Kyushu Electricity is 5,526 yen
▽ Hokuriku Electric Power is 4,792 yen
However, prices are expected to rise again from this spring.
However, Tohoku Electric Power, Hokuriku Electric Power, Chugoku Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power, and Okinawa Electric Power have applied to the government for price increases from April, and Tokyo Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power have applied for price increases from June. Electricity prices are expected to rise again.
The extent of the price increase is determined by the government's examination, but when each company applies, the average is from 28% to 45%.
For this reason, electricity charges for the electricity used in January and billed in February will drop temporarily, but at the earliest, electricity bills for electricity used in March and billed in April will be raised more than the reduction. It is expected to come.
In addition, the government plans to gradually reduce the burden from September usage, and the reduction of subsidies may further increase the electricity bill.
“Average electricity rate” assumes the same amount of usage throughout the year
In the case of TEPCO, the electricity bill for the March bill announced this time is 7,306 yen for an average household with a usage of 260 kWh.
However, while the average household bill assumes the same amount of usage throughout the year, it varies greatly from season to season.
According to a household budget survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the electricity bill for households with two or more people across the country was 16,273 yen last March, the highest in the past year, when most of the electricity used in February was included.
On the other hand, last July, which includes a lot of usage in June, was 9,869 yen, which is a difference of about 6,400 yen, and the electricity bill tends to be higher in the winter season.
Strong sales of energy-saving goods
Under these circumstances, sales of related products are booming at home centers in an attempt to save electricity even a little.
At a home center in Ome City, Tokyo, curtains made of materials that do not allow heat to pass through are sold twice as much as usual in order to improve the efficiency of heating.
In addition, more and more people are gathering in one place to warm themselves in order to save electricity, so kotatsu are selling about 1.3 times more than usual.
A man in his 70s who visited from Saitama Prefecture said, "Electricity bills are high in my house, so I came to buy curtains that can keep out the cold."
In addition, stores sell timers that can be connected to an outlet to turn on and off home appliances, which can be expected to prevent forgetting to turn off and reduce standby power consumption.
Hiroki Inoshita of the Cainz Ome Inter store said, "Customers often ask me, 'Do you have any products that can save electricity bills?' I was talking to
Services using solar panels
By installing solar panels on homes, there is a movement to reduce costs.
Tokyo Gas provides a service that allows solar panels to be installed in newly built houses at no initial cost in collaboration with housing manufacturers in Tokyo.
With this service, if you pay a monthly fee of 5,500 yen to use the panels, you can use the electricity generated during the day at home.
Inquiries from customers who want to lower their electricity bills are increasing at stores of affiliated housing manufacturers, and the number of contracts this year has already exceeded last year, reaching a record high.
For Tokyo Gas, there is the advantage of being able to sell surplus power not used by households to electric power companies.
Akito Oda, who is in charge of solar storage batteries in the Living Strategy Department of Tokyo Gas, said, "By using electricity generated by sunlight, we can reduce the amount of electricity we purchase, which is also very beneficial for households. It will help us realize a decarbonized society. I would like to further expand these efforts because I can contribute to
"What price plan suits me?" Inquiries one after another
There are an increasing number of inquiries about services that compare the electricity rates of different companies and introduce plans that suit users.
A venture company in Tokyo offers a service that compares plans offered by major electric power companies and new electric power companies and introduces the one that suits the user.
Among them, there was a consultation that the electricity bill nearly doubled compared to the previous year from a household contracting a plan whose price is determined in conjunction with the price of the electricity wholesale market.
According to the company, since November last year, the number of cases of switching contracts due to consultation has nearly doubled compared to the same period of the previous year.
Director Tatsuya Sogano of "Enechange" said that there are cases where users do not fully understand the details of contracts with electric power companies, and "Major electric power companies are raising the price of plans called regulated rates, which have many subscribers. There is a possibility that the contents of the contract will change in the future, such as applying, so please check the contents carefully."