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The most expensive summer electricity rates in history start tomorrow!

Release Date : 2026-05-31

The most expensive summer electricity rates in history start tomorrow! Taipower will implement summer rates for four consecutive months starting June 1. Following last October's residential rate hike, this summer's rates are higher than ever. Notably, the tier over 1,000 kWh reaches 8.86 yuan per kWh, an all-time high. This will impact high-consumption multi-generational homes, luxury villas, and public electricity fees for 3 million apartment and community households.

Beyond electricity, CPC Corporation announced a 5% increase in June industrial gas prices, raising costs for petrochemical, steel, and semiconductor lines. However, power-generation gas remained unchanged after three consecutive hikes, easing pressure on Taipower. Domestic bottled gas and next week's fuel prices remain frozen, with 95 unleaded at 33.9 yuan. CPC stated that while formulas indicated a 50% hike for industrial gas, it moderated the increase based on industry endurance. Taipower's June-to-September summer rates feature six tiers, with the second tier onward running 12% to 25% higher than non-summer periods. Crucially, this new version incorporates last October's 3.1% residential hike, pulling overall rates above last summer's levels.

Specifically, the second tier rises to 2.55 yuan, consumption over 500 kWh costs 5.14 yuan, and usage over 1,001 kWh climbs from last year's 8.46 yuan to 8.86 yuan—the highest ever. Compared to the non-summer rate of 7.03 yuan, each summer kWh costs 1.83 yuan more than last month.

Based on the 2025 residential summer average of 418 kWh per household, summer usage is 40% higher than non-summer periods, adding 446 yuan to monthly bills. Taipower emphasized that over 70% of this increase stems from higher consumption, primarily summer air conditioning.

This is just the national average. Higher usage at 500 or 700 kWh stacks into higher tiers. At 1,500 kWh, 500 kWh is billed at the 8.86-yuan rate, adding 915 yuan for that tier alone. Apartments and communities, with extensive shared facilities, consume far more, which will reflect in the "shared public electricity fee" on residents' monthly bills.

Taipower stated that summer rates reflect higher seasonal costs, not a price hike. Nationally, 30% of users average below 120 kWh and remain unaffected. High-tier users consuming over 1,000 kWh account for just 2.4% of the total.

Taipower spokesperson Huang Mei-lien urged high-tier users to conserve energy. She noted that communities with high public facility usage can consider time-of-use rates for lighting or residential/commercial sectors to save money, adding that Taipower can assist with evaluations.

Source: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20260531000326-260120?chdtv
Photo by Han-Hsing Tu on Unsplash
Written by: China Times
Date: 2026.5.2