Vietnam currently has around 31.88 million residential electricity customers. According to a report from Vietnam Electricity (EVN), about 3.2 million of these customers (10%) saw their electricity consumption increase by 30% compared to July.

EVN attributes this surge to the intense heatwave that gripped many regions in northern Vietnam, especially during the first half of August, leading to very high electricity consumption. On August 4th, electricity consumption in northern Vietnam reached a record high.

Based on data from customer service centers of EVN's power corporations and feedback on social media, over 500 customer complaints have been received regarding high August electricity bills.

EVN stated that initial reviews of these complaints have not revealed any errors. The corporation is continuing to review and inspect the reported billing issues.

Regarding social media posts, EVN noted many posts or discussions in groups lacked verifiable details. Some information was false or posted to attract views and promote online sales.

Furthermore, many complaints came from customers who purchase electricity not directly from EVN but from intermediary retailers. These retailers often still use gas meters and manually input data, which has a higher risk of error compared to electronic meters.

Preliminary statistics indicate there are still 521 electricity retailers nationwide, with 481 located in northern Vietnam.

Currently, residents and businesses purchase electricity from EVN's power companies. EVN holds 100% of the charter capital in five power corporations (Northern, Central, Southern, Hanoi, and TP HCM), each responsible for a specific region.

The power sector reports that most of EVN's customers now have electronic meters with remote reading capabilities. This automated system eliminates manual data entry, significantly reducing errors associated with older mechanical meters and subjective human intervention.

Phuong Dung