Korea’s electricity bills to surge by 13% in August due to extreme heat

[Photo by Yonhap]

South Korean households will see their power bills for August rise by an average of 13 percent in the wake of the record heatwave in the country.

According to the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) on Monday, the average electricity consumption per household stood at 363 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in August, up 9 percent from 333 kWh a year ago. Their electricity bills are expected to rise by 13 percent in August from last year.

KEPCO data showed that a total of 19.22 million households, or 76 percent of the entire residential users, saw higher electricity bills in August compared to the same month last year.

The increase was driven by soaring demand for cooling in response to a record-breaking heatwave during the summer.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, there were 16 heatwave days in August, the second-most days since 2016.