Power bills to rise average of 13 percent after August heatwave

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Power bills to rise average of 13 percent after August heatwave

Published: 09 Sep. 2024, 18:55 Updated: 09 Sep. 2024, 18:56

Children beat the heat by standing in a fountain at a park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, as the heatwave continued to strike the country. [YONHAP]

August's extreme heatwave increased household electricity bills by an average of 13 percent, Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) said Monday.

Average electricity use per household climbed 9 percent in August from a year earlier to reach 363 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is likely to push rates up by 13 percent, or 7,520 won ($3.88), on year, to an average of 63,610 won, according to the state-run power company.

The calculation is based on preliminary data, and the amount will be fixed at the end of this month, it added.

Kepco currently applies a tiered rate system to residential power usage wherein households using more electricity are charged a higher rate.

The corporation expects 76 percent of Korean households to pay more this year than they did last year.

The country's average daily maximum power demand reached a record high of 87.8 gigawatts in August, rising 6.1 percent on year.

The number of heat wave days, or days on which the daily high reached 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher, reached 16 in August, the second highest since 1973 when the data was first recorded.

The number of tropical nights, on which temperatures remained above 25 degrees Celsius from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, reached 11.3 in August, marking the first time this figure has reached double digits, government data showed.

Yonhap