Mumbai: The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on Friday issued a fresh multi-year tariff order for MSEDCL that promises lower power bills for residential users over the next five years. The new order, passed by the commission headed by chairperson Valsa Nair Singh, replaces the earlier June 25, 2025, order that came under legal challenge from stakeholders.Following the challenge, the Supreme Court directed MSEDCL to conduct a fresh hearing and asked the commission to reconsider the review petition after hearing all parties. Under the revised tariff framework, residential consumers will see tariff reductions ranging from 4% to 26% by 2029-30. For the current financial year itself, the reduction is up to 10%, offering immediate relief to households.The order also strengthens the Time-of-Day (TOD) tariff structure aimed at encouraging consumers to shift electricity use to non-peak and solar-rich hours. The rebate for consumption during solar hours has been increased from 80 paise per unit to 85 paise per unit. Another consumer-friendly feature of the order is a sharp reduction in electricity charges for EV charging at residential premises and housing societies. The tariff has been cut from Rs 10.22 per unit to Rs 9.25 per unit with immediate effect.In a media statement, MSEDCL spokesperson said, “The TOD concession for electricity usage during the 9am to 5pm period will continue for industrial and commercial electricity consumers.”He further said as the second year of the order commences from April 1, there will be further reduction in electricity tariffs. “The average tariff for consumers using up to 100 units per month will decrease from Rs 7.31 to Rs 7.10. The electricity tariff for these consumers will decrease by 26% over five years. Before the new multi-year electricity tariff order, this rate was Rs 8.14 until 2025.”In this order, MERC has fixed a tariff of Rs 9.50 per unit for high-tension and low-tension electric vehicle charging stations for the year 2026-27. This tariff will remain stable until 2028-29. This will encourage the use of electric vehicles. Housing societies can set up low-tension charging centres for electric vehicle charging within their premises, the spokesperson added.
