Thane electricity bills surge as summer power consumption crosses 300 units
On Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in the state legislative assembly that domestic electricity bills in Thane, Kalyan, Badlapur, and Ambarnath have surged steeply this May due to an intense, prolonged summer that pushed household power consumption past the 300-unit threshold.
Fadnavis stated that he had received numerous complaints from residents across these areas regarding the sudden spike in their monthly power expenses. In response, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (Mahavitaran) conducted a comparative study of electricity consumption and temperatures for the month of May in 2025 and 2026.
The study revealed a significant jump in power usage. A typical family living in a one-bedroom flat consumed 415 units of electricity this May, compared to 270 units during the same period last year. Consequently, their monthly bill rose from Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000.
Similarly, households in two-bedroom flats saw their average consumption climb from 425 units last year to 655 units this May. This caused their monthly electricity bills to jump from Rs 4,500 to Rs 8,000.
According to the Mahavitaran study, this steep financial impact is a direct result of the electricity board's slab-wise pricing structure. While households consuming under 100 units receive subsidized rates and those under 300 units receive certain concessions, the tariff rates double once consumption crosses the 300-unit threshold.
The surge in consumption was driven by extreme weather conditions. The average temperature in May rose to 43 degrees Celsius this year, up from 38.3 degrees Celsius in May last year.
Furthermore, weather patterns in Thane differed significantly between the two years. Last May, Thane received 200 millimetres of rain, which provided respite from the heat and reduced the need for cooling appliances. With no such rainfall occurring this May, residents relied heavily on refrigerators, fans, and air conditioning units, driving up energy usage across the region.
