MONTEGO BAY, St James
MONTEGO BAY, St James
ELECTRICITY bills will jump 18 per cent for the average residential customer this month, returning them to their usual levels. After customers benefitted from a one-off, US$3.8-million ($340 million) fuel rebate from Petrojam, a new heat rate target and lower oil prices last month, the fuel rate has returned to levels seen up to July this year.
Cost Analysis of the 4 most popular pool pumps in the Jamaican market.
This analysis hopes to provide the readers with a better understanding of the costs associated with the purchase of varying pool pumps. This study takes into account the approximate initial cost of each pump along with the installation expenses and electrical costs associated with the operation of the pump over a five (5) year period.
Why choose an Inverter Pool Pump?
Solar Buzz Variable Speed Inverter pool pumps are enjoying rapidly increasing popularity in the swimming pool industry in Jamaica. These pumps offer many benefits over traditional pool pumps since they regulate the speed of the electric motor. This is done by the pump controlling the amount of power delivered to the motor
Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM), Hon. Julian Robinson
Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM), Hon. Julian Robinson, says Jamaica is ripe for investment in renewable energy.
In an interview with JIS News, the State Minister said following a recent assessment of the rates paid to persons who generate energy which is then sold to the grid, a recommendation is now on the table that will make it more attractive for investors to invest locally.
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM), Julian Robinson, says Jamaica is ripe for investment in renewable energy.
Following a recent assessment of the rates paid to people who generate energy which is then sold to the grid, a recommendation is now on the table that will make it more attractive for investors to invest locally, said Robinson said, adding this will bring significant benefits to the energy consuming public.
Kelly Tomblin, JPS president and CEO
Since the start of 2012, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has lost more than US$30 million as a result of electricity theft. This, as the company continues to absorb the cost of the fuel used to produce much of the electricity that is illegally abstracted.
“About 14 per cent of the electricity produced by JPS is stolen, and the cost of this theft is shared by both JPS and our customers,” says Kelly Tomblin, JPS president and CEO. “In addition to the financial losses associated with electricity theft, JPS is spending another US$30 million each year on efforts to curtail the problem. Despite this investment and the dedication of more than 200 employees to fighting losses, the problem persists,” she said.
JPS has utilised a number of strategies in its fight against electricity theft. These include the installation of anti-theft systems in communities with high levels of losses, account audits, investigations, removal of illegal lines, and supporting the police. Since the start of the year, 38 persons have been arrested for illegal abstraction of electricity, more than 5,700 meter irregularities have been discovered, and 14,000 illegal ‘throw-up’ lines removed across the island.
“We continue to explore additional ways of dealing with this problem, as persons are getting more and more innovative in their illegal use of electricity. JPS needs the support of everyone – the Government, customers, the police, and community leaders to address this problem because it affects every sector of society,” the JPS CEO explained.
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is reporting success in its efforts to reduce electricity theft in St. Catherine which is one of the parishes with a high rate of theft.
The JPS says in July, it executed 10 operations in which 1,037 illegal connections were removed.
The JPS also says its teams discovered 61 cases of meter irregularities, including the use of meter bypasses and other devices.
According to the company, arising out of these operations, 17 persons were charged with illegal abstraction of electricity.
The JPS has committed US$30 million this year to the fight against electricity theft.
editorial@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=39307
Downed Jamaica Public Service Company utility poles on Paradise Street in Kingston last Sunday wreaked havoc for Jamaicans in the city who were eager to watch the 100m finals at the London Olympics. The damage was attributed to wind from the outer bands from Tropical Storm Ernesto. – Rudolph Brown/Photographer
THE EDITOR, Sir:
No Olympics, no Independence. Thanks, Jamaica Public Service (JPS)! And while Digicel would like to boast of its islandwide coverage, perhaps both were working in tandem, because while JPS locked off the electricity on us for more than two days, every time the power went out we had little or no signal on our mobile phones.
We couldn’t even surf the Internet on our phones and had to use our car chargers to power our mobiles.
Quite frankly, we do not live ‘inna bush’, and this is certainly not the Ice Age, where ‘likkle breeze’ blows and we didn’t even get an opportunity to watch the Grand Gala activities on television. Oh, yes, Usain Bolt won the 100 metres race at the London 2012 Olympics in fine style. Our friends had to record and then send commentary of the race, via voice notes, on our phones, which took ages to get to us because the reception, all of a sudden, was also down.
Now, you may think this is all ranting and raving over nothing. But we are law-abiding and paying customers of the light and power company who have, over the years, had scant disregard for us.
All-island blackout
A friend of ours who was so distraught over the fact that we, after nearly 24 hours, were still without electricity, and the fact that we have a seven-month-old child did some enquiries. We were then informed that it was an all-island blackout, and parts of St Catherine, St Mary, Portland and St Andrew, where we live, were still to receive electricity – this at 11 p.m. on Monday, August 6.
This is an absolute SHAME and DISGRACE! Yes, we had battery-operated radios and flashlights, but what excuse will JPS give us now for what we call another heartless attack on us, and, by extension, Digicel!
We are not idiots, because we know the transmission towers are powered by electricity. But what about the backup? Come on, Digicel! If we had an emergency, were we to have used carrier pigeons or stand on our roofs and bellow for help!
This is the 21st century! The Office of Utilities Regulation needs to conduct a thorough investigation into what really happened. Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Philip Paulwell, we NEED some answers!
We shudder to think what if Tropical Storm Ernesto had really continued on its initial projected path, we would be looking at no electricity for weeks and, perhaps, months. Kelly Tomblin, JPS’s CEO, you are relatively new here in Jamaica, but we would like to know ‘wha really gwaan’ and ‘weh unnu plan fi do’ should we have another tropical storm or hurricane threat.
Albeit we are still in the hurricane season and at the very least August and September are the two most active months. Maybe we should resort to using ’tilley lamps’ or bottle torches as in the olden days.
Certainly we cannot afford solar energy like Minister Paulwell!
Keisha Hill
Stoney Hill, St Andrew
JAMAICA Public Service (JPS) customers should start paying about 10 per cent less for electricity as of this month due to a significant decrease in the fuel charge on bills.
This month’s Fuel & IPP Charge of $16.748 is the lowest on electricity bills in more than a year, the light and power company has said. The Fuel & IPP Charge on August bills is $16.748 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to a charge of $20.445 per kWh applied to bills in July.
At this month’s rate, the cost of electricity to customers is approximately US 32 cents per kWh.
For the average consumer who uses 200 kWh of electricity each month, this means that he/she will be paying almost $700 less for electricity in August, compared to the previous month.
This month’s reduction in Fuel & IPP Charge is due to a combination of factors the power company said in a release yesterday.
The Petrojam rebate for the overcharge on fuel purchased by independent power supplier, Jamaica Private Power Company (JPPC) is one reason. The others are a new efficiency target set by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) for JPS and an overall reduction in the cost of oil used to produce electricity.
The one-off Petrojam rebate of J$343 million (US$3.8 million), represents the overcharge on fuel to JPPC.
Also, starting this month, customers are expected to see the benefits of a new Heat Rate target, set by the OUR to ensure more efficient electricity generation. The lower Heat Rate target means that JPS will absorb more of the cost of inefficiencies in the electricity generation process, and pass on to customers the benefits of increased efficiencies.
According to the JPS release, customers have been benefiting from lower fuel charges on their bills since June this year, as a result of the recent downward trend in global oil prices.
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