The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has successfully retrieved a total of GH¢262,558.53 from utility companies, including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Limited, as refunds for consumers in 2024.
This initiative is designed to promote equitable utility usage and hold service providers accountable for their operations.
It also serves to motivate utility companies to meet their obligations more diligently.
At a press conference in Kumasi, Mr. Richard Asiedu, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for PURC in the Ashanti region, explained that the refunds were necessitated by various consumer grievances, including overbilling, inaccuracies in metering, unlawful disconnections, and damage to household appliances caused by voltage fluctuations.
Mr. Asiedu also revealed that the PURC has also collected GH¢396,010.00 from construction firms as compensation for damages inflicted on the Ghana Water Limited’s infrastructure during roadworks.
He noted that the Ghana Water Company has made significant progress in repairing the majority of the damaged transmission pipes.
An amount of GH¢178,368.42 was also recovered as revenue.
In terms of service improvements, the Ashanti Regional Office reported the completion of 18 pole replacements, 31 faulty meter replacements, 4 new service connections, 12 transformer replacements, and 30 pipe repairs.
Meanwhile, in 2024, the Ashanti Regional Office received a total of 1,101 complaints against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Limited (GWL).
Of these, 1,050 complaints, representing 95.4%, were resolved.
1,043 complaints (94.7%) were lodged against ECG, while 58 complaints (5.3%) were filed against GWL in the Ashanti Region.
