The cost of electricity is up by 5.8 percent and water by 5.1 percent this morning following a tariff adjustment approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission for residential use.

The PURC attributed the increment to several factors including the cedi depreciation, inflation, cost of fuel, and electricity generation mix.

In its May 31 statement, PURC noted that tariffs for lifeline consumers will see a 3.45% increase.

“…there will be 3.45% increase in electricity tariffs for lifeline consumers (0-30kWh); 5.84% increase for all other residential consumers who are not part of the lifeline category bracket (31 kWh and above) as well as the non-residential category,” the PURC said.

However the industrial category “will experience an increase in electricity tariffs of 4.92%."

The statement signed by PURC's Executive Secretary, Ishmael Ackah, explained that the reviews were undertaken in line with the Commission's Quarterly Tariff Review Mechanism, which tracks and incorporates movements in key uncontrollable factors, namely the exchange rate between the US$ and the Ghana Cedi, domestic inflation rate, the electricity generation mix, and the cost of fuel, mainly natural gas.

The Commission says it also considered the competitiveness of industries and the general living conditions of the Ghanaians in arriving at this review.