Vietnam Electricity (EVN) reported over 500 customer complaints regarding high August electricity bills, based on data from customer care centers, power corporations, and social media.
At a seminar on 10/9, EVN Deputy General Director Nguyen Xuan Nam stated that the corporation has installed and is using electronic meters for all customers. According to him, electricity consumption is now recorded remotely, with data transmitted online to power companies, eliminating the need for manual meter reading by staff.
Therefore, he affirmed, "there is no interference to falsify electricity consumption figures".
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EVN Deputy General Director Nguyen Xuan Nam responds at a seminar on 10/9. Photo: VGP |
EVN Deputy General Director Nguyen Xuan Nam responds at a seminar on 10/9. Photo: VGP
Regarding public concerns, the EVN representative said the corporation has directed power companies to review customer bills. August's weather this year was unusual, with an early heatwave causing record-high electricity consumption exceeding 1.08 billion kWh.
EVN statistics also reveal that around 3.2 million residential electricity users (10% of total customers) saw their electricity consumption increase by more than 30% compared to July.
"EVN has instructed power corporations to guide customers in installing apps to monitor consumption fluctuations, and the hotline is available to promptly address public inquiries," he said, confirming that the review has not revealed any reported errors.
The EVN leader also suggested that some complaints about electricity bills contain false or inaccurate information. In many cases, when the power sector verified the information, they couldn't locate the addresses to clarify the issues.
Additionally, some complaints came from customers of other retail electricity providers, not EVN. Besides EVN, in urban areas, apartment buildings, and industrial zones, management boards establish entities that purchase electricity wholesale from EVN's power companies at preferential government prices and resell it to customers within their area.
"In these cases, they set their own pricing. EVN cannot control this aspect," Mr. Nam explained, noting that there are currently over 700 wholesale organizations, accounting for almost 8.6% of system output.
From a consumer perspective, Phan Duc Hieu, a member of the National Assembly's Economic and Budgetary Committee, believes EVN needs to improve customer service. He suggested that power companies could send immediate alerts to households experiencing sudden spikes in electricity usage over one or two days, rather than waiting until the end of the month.
Mr. Hieu also recommended that the power sector periodically report on areas with high electricity consumption to warn families and encourage energy saving. "EVN should shift from a passive to a proactive role, becoming a provider of warnings and information, which benefits both sides," he stated.
He also suggested simplifying the hotline to an easily remembered number, such as 102, instead of the current long and "often difficult to reach" number.
Phuong Dung
