The Bono regional office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), as part of its activities to maximise consumer satisfaction, has embarked on a three-month campaign to educate the public on the recent adjustments in utility tariffs.
The outreach dubbed, “Operation know your consumption campaign” began on 14 April, covering the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions. It ended on Sunday 25 June.
The outreach team was led by the Bono regional manager of PURC, Patrick Antwi, who also oversees the Bono East and Ahafo regions. The team facilitated sensitisation sessions in churches, mosques, second cycle institutions, radio discussions and community durbars.
The outreach team also facilitated tariff monitoring in Techiman and Sunyani, with a complaints clinic set up in Atuna in Jaman North district. Residents of Abofour, Atuna Asekye, Babianiha, Tahiru Akura and Ayigbe were sensitised on faulty metres that could increase their bills, how to apply for metres, metre reading and the importance of engaging only certified electricians for electrical wiring projects.
The commission cautioned the public against buying old appliances also known as “second-hand” or “home-used” products which consume more electricity, thus increasing utility bills. The PURC said such appliances are not energy efficient. Consumers were urged to purchase brand new appliances with a minimum of three stars on the label.
The commission assured the public of its commitment to resolve all water and electricity-related issues. It urged consumers to pay their bills regularly and refrain from illegal connections.
In 2022, the commission assisted consumers who were wrongfully billed by Ghana Water Company Limited and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) to retrieve over GHC42,000 from the utility service providers.
During the same period, the commission rolled out the ‘Voice of the voiceless’ and ‘Anti-illegal connection’ campaigns where it recovered over 24 million cedis from consumers for NEDCo.
The commission’s 2023 programme dubbed, “Operation pitch camp” saw its staff in the Bono Region collecting first-hand information from consumers to improve service delivery.
Through its activities, the commission has recovered over GHC150,000 from consumers for NEDCo and assisted consumers to retrieve 20,994.52 from service providers in the first quarter of this year.
Reporting by Daniel Donkor in the Bono Region
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