Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) said on the 21st that it is launching a real-time alert service for changes in residential progressive rate tiers, in preparation for a surge in cooling demand caused by the heat wave. KEPCO plans to use the service to reduce the electricity bill burden on households.
The alert service sends a real-time notification when a customer's electricity usage reaches 80% of the threshold for entering the third progressive tier of residential electricity rates. By providing advance notice before customers enter the third tier — where both the base charge and the per-unit energy charge rise sharply — the service can help customers voluntarily adjust their electricity use and cut their bills. The current threshold for entering the third progressive tier of residential electricity rates is 450 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in summer and 400 kWh in other seasons.
The service is delivered through notifications on the mobile application "KEPCO ON," and for those who have not signed up for the app, it is sent via KakaoTalk alert messages. Tapping the alert message connects users to the fee diagnosis screen of KEPCO's energy-saving platform "Smart Electricity Life," where they can check their real-time usage, progressive tier, and estimated charges.
KEPCO plans to run the service on a trial basis for about 2.3 million KEPCO ON subscribers, before expanding it in December to 11 million residential customers equipped with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). "We expect that customized services based on real-time power data will ease the electricity bill burden on the public," a KEPCO official said. "At the national level, it will help ease the summer power peak and contribute to supply stability."
