EAC: many consumers say they were overcharged

Less than a week after EAC issued advice to consumers who believe there were discrepancies between their meter readings and their electricity bills, the authority confirmed on Wednesday that a “a lot of people” responded to their call.

Without providing the exact number, spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said on Wednesday that many consumers reported overcharging in recent months, with the calculation being up to 10 per cent more than the actual consumption, which if paid, will be corrected in the next bill.

But the aim is to avoid people paying more now, the spokeswoman explained.

She added that there were also many cases where people contact the authority thinking they were overcharged, but the bill was correct, and the high tariff is due to the high electricity prices.

The issue was caused due to the new metering system called MDMS (Meter Data Management System), the spokeswoman said, which in many cases comes up with an estimate of consumption, based on previous consumption patterns, rather than the actual kilowatt-hour usage.

Consumers can recognise that their bill was calculated with an estimate as it carries the letter ‘Y’ next to the number of kilowatt-hours listed.

Papadopoulou urged those consumers whose electricity bill carries the letter ‘Y’ to contact them, saying it is possible there were discrepancies between their meter reading and what they were charged.

EAC is unable to check all the bills, she said, since the bills are over 600,000.

The authority, however, is working on resolving the issue, by installing smart meters in all substations of its customers. Around 400,000 smart meters are expected to be installed by the end of 2025, Papadopoulou said.

“The objective is to ensure the smooth and orderly functioning of the competitive market, and these issues will also be resolved with the installation of smart meters,” she added.

According to EAC, if a consumer does not pay the bill within 21 days of its issue, they will receive a notice. The consumer then has another six days to settle. If not, they will receive an SMS notifying them that the power will be cut.

People affected can get in touch with EAC via email, Viber or WhatsApp or on 1800.

The contacts provided are the following:

Nicosia:
email address [email protected] / Viber and Whatsapp contact 99608754

Limassol:
email address [email protected] / Viber and Whatsapp contact 99668321

Larnaca:
email address [email protected] / Viber and Whatsapp contact 99681190

Paphos:
email address [email protected] / Viber and Whatsapp contact 99205394

Famagusta:
email address [email protected] / Viber and Whatsapp contact 99681190

Via email:

Send an email to the district’s corresponding address, indicating the customer’s name appearing on the bill and the contact number

Write down the meter reading ignoring the decimal digits at the end and meter number. (e.g. reading number: 071062)

Via Viber:

Send a picture of the meter showing the consumption reading and meter number

Indicate the customer’s name appearing on the bill and the contact number

Via Whatsapp:

Send a picture of the meter showing the consumption reading and meter number

Indicate the customer’s name appearing on the bill and the contact number