The country is going through an unprecedented economic crisis.
The public electricity company of Sri Lanka announced on Tuesday a 264% increase in its tariffs for small consumers.
The increase concerns two-thirds of the 7.8 million households using less than 90 kilowatts per month.
The price increase will be less for the biggest consumers, who will pay around 80% more, according to official records.
In detail, a consumer using less than 30 kilowatts per month will pay 28.50 rupees (0.077 euro) per kilowatt, compared to 7.85 rupees (0.021 euro) currently.
Large consumers charged 45 rupees (0.12 euro) per kilowatt will now pay 80.55 rupees (0.22 euro).
Daily power cuts
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said the regulator had cleared it to make the big increases from Wednesday, the first in nine years, to bail out its coffers.
The CEB had requested a larger rate increase of more than 800%, but the regulator capped it at 264%, officials said.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is ravaged by a historic economic crisis, marked by severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
The island has also suffered daily power cuts for months, the CEB not having been able to buy the oil necessary for the operation of its thermal power stations.
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Sri Lanka
Economic crisis
electricity