A resident of Vieira de Leiria was left without electricity for almost two weeks after Storm Kristin and, when the power was restored, he received a bill with an estimated value much higher than his usual consumption. The case was reported to the media and raises doubts about the criteria used in the estimation.
According to SIC Notícias, Paulo Almeida saw an estimated consumption of 184 kilowatts attributed to him in the period between January 29th and February 10th, precisely the days in which his home was without power supply.
In the remaining 17 days of the same billing cycle, the actual recorded consumption was 45 kilowatts. According to the same source, the contrast led consumers to question the coherence of the values presented.
“I’m amazed, I can’t understand it. I would even accept that they had estimated a percentage, but this amount is exorbitant, there is no justification”, said Paulo Almeida to the same source, describing the surprise upon receiving the invoice.
Days without power after the storm
The prolonged electricity supply failure occurred following Depression Kristin, which crossed the continent on January 28. Vieira de Leiria was one of the areas hit by the storm, which caused power, water and communications cuts, as well as significant material damage.
It is worth highlighting that the Centre, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo and Alentejo regions were among those most affected by the depressions that hit the country. The passage of depressions Kristin, Leonardo and Marta caused 18 deaths in Portugal, in addition to hundreds of injured and homeless people.
Damages and embarrassments
Among the main consequences recorded are the total or partial destruction of homes, businesses and equipment, falling trees and structures, closure of roads, schools and transport services, in addition to flooding.
It was in this context of prolonged interruption of electricity supply that invoices for the affected period began to be issued, including that of Paulo Almeida.
Unanswered contact attempts
The consumer claims to have been unable to contact the energy supplier, Endesa, as there is still no communication network. “For a third of the time, they estimated four times as much”, he highlighted, comparing the period without electricity with the days in which there was actual consumption.
A tried to obtain clarification from the company, but did not receive a response until the publication of his report. The case exposes the difficulties faced by some consumers following extreme weather events, at a time when thousands of customers were still waiting for the total normalization of energy supply.
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