Kosovo’s Energy Regulatory Office ERO on Tuesday imposed a block tariff of 800 kilowatts, which means all users who consume over 800 kilowatts per month will now pay more for their electricity.

Consumers who use less than 800 kilowatts of electricity per month will pay the same bill as before. 

The old price is 6.75 cents for the high or day tariff, and 2.89 cents for the low or overnight tariff. 

The new tariff, for those using over 800 kilowatts, is 12.5 cents for the high or daily tariff and 5.9 cents for the low or overnight tariff.

The new prices will take effect from February 9, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

The block tariffs will only apply to household customers, not commercial ones.

The chairman of the board of the ERO, Ymer Fejzullahu, on Tuesday insisted that 80 per cent of consumers spend less than 800 kilowatts of electricity a month and won’t be affected.

Fejzullahu said consumers who spend around 1,000 kilowatts will see an average monthly increase in their bills of 10 euros.

But the Council for the Protection of Human and Freedoms, CDHRF, has criticised the decision, stating that the increase in prices will in fact endanger most families in Kosovo, especially in winter.

The CDHRF also said it was discriminatory to divide consumers between those who spend less than 800 kilowatts a month and those who spend more.

Two protests have been held lately against the rise in electricity prices, once led by civil society groups and another led by the opposition Social Democratic Party, PSD.

The government has pledged to subsidize electricity by 90 million euros, adding to the 10 million euros allocated for this purpose by the government in January.

Initially, the ERO on January 17, 2022 had proposed doubling the tariffs for those consuming over 600 kilowatts a month.