A five-MP push to give electricity consumers greater protection against sudden and unexplained bill increases has reached Parliament, with legislators seeking to put the brakes on power disconnections while a disputed bill is under investigation.
The proposed legislation, spearheaded by Strategic Thinking Bloc spokesman MP Khalid Bu Onk, would introduce a new article to the 1996 Electricity and Water Law, requiring the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) to alert subscribers when their bills show an unusual increase and provide them with a clear route to challenge the amount.
The proposed system would also require bills to be recalculated if an error in meter reading, consumption calculation or a technical malfunction is established. Any amount found to have been overcharged would either be refunded to the subscriber or deducted from subsequent bills.
Under the current system, consumers must settle their monthly bill before lodging a dispute to avoid having their electricity supply disconnected.
The proposal was referred yesterday by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam to the public utilities and environment affairs committee for review in co-ordination with the relevant authorities.
Co-signed by bloc president, Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee chairman and Bahrain Chamber treasurer MP Ahmed Al Salloom, committee vice-chairwoman MP Zainab Abdulamir, and MPs Hisham Al Awadhi and Mohammed Al Marafi, the initiative argues that consumers should not be left facing disconnection while a disputed bill is being verified.
Mr Bu Onk and his fellow sponsors said in their written reasons that the proposed safeguards were designed around a simple principle: “The proposal does not aim to exempt subscribers from paying what they actually owe, but rather to achieve a balance between the ministry’s right to collect its dues and the subscriber’s right to receive an accurate and transparent bill.”
“Electricity is considered a basic service directly linked to the daily lives of families, individuals, and establishments,” said Mr Bu Onk, stressing that a sudden increase could result from genuine higher consumption, an incorrect meter reading, a technical fault, an estimated reading or other circumstances requiring verification.
“At its heart, we seek to ensure that a household facing an unexpectedly high electricity bill has a formal opportunity to ask one crucial question before the lights go out – is the bill correct?”
For Mr Al Salloom, the proposal’s underlying argument is that electricity is not an ordinary commercial service, but an essential part of everyday life for households, individuals and businesses.
Ms Abdulamir highlighted the right of subscribers to seek verification of their meter reading and consumption data, including a technical inspection if there are serious grounds for objection.
Under the proposed amendment, subscribers would also receive notification electronically or through another approved means when an unusual increase is detected, together with the reason for the increase when this is known to the EWA.
Mr Al Awadhi and Mr Al Marafi said the key protection would come when a disputed amount is under serious examination.
The proposal states that ‘electricity shall not be cut off due to the amount under dispute until the verification procedures are completed and the objection is decided’, provided the subscriber continues paying for their average consumption based on the previous year, subject to rules to be set out in the executive regulations.
The MPs are also calling for clear deadlines in every stage of the process – from lodging an objection and inspecting the meter to recalculating the bill and issuing a final decision.
The explanatory memorandum notes that electricity bills, disconnections and disputed consumption estimates have previously been the subject of parliamentary debate, arguing that the issue warrants ‘clear and stable legislative solutions’.
The proposal does not seek to remove the authority’s right to recover legitimate outstanding payments.
Instead, its sponsors argue that it would establish a transparent mechanism for determining whether an unusually high bill reflects actual consumption or an error requiring correction.
According to Bahrain’s Open Data Portal, the total electricity consumption last year was 19,391.58 gigawatt-hours (GWh), while average daily water consumption during the same period was 164.33 million gallons.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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