EAC vows to credit back overcharges

An undisclosed number of property owners in the Republic Cyprus were overcharged on their electricity bills in recent months, with the Cyprus Electricity Authority vowing to right a wrong in future billings.

According to local media, residents on the island have been noticing increased charges on their power bills that did not reflect accurately their actual usage of electricity.

In addition to increased charges due to cold weather recently, according to City.com.cy, there have also been higher or inaccurate charges imposed on EAC customers by the software of the company.

EAC spokesperson Christina Papadopoulou was quoted as saying that the price of a kilowatt-hour had not changed. But she said some accounts were billed after power usage was calculated through an estimate and not based on actual electricity usage.

The spokesperson described the different calculation method as a “software glitch” and called on customers to file a complaint if they suspected overcharges.

Alternatively, she added, those who pay the bill in full and do not file a dispute would be credited the amount difference in a future billing.

“EAC will in no way profit from this technical problem,” Papadopoulou said.

Agents working for EAC typically visit the premises of customers, both residential and commercial, in order to get an actual reading either on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Companies are obligated to inform customers on their bill whether a reading was based on an estimated or actual reading.

It was not immediately clear how many households were affected by the new charges or whether the electricity bills indicated whether charges were estimated or actual.

According to reports, EAC said the number of affected customers was relatively small.