Development and Reform Commission: the next step is to improve the residential ladder price system and restore the commodity attribute of electricity

Recently, the national development and Reform Commission said in reply to the netizens' message that "it is suggested to improve the residents' step tariff system and encourage urban and rural residents to use more clean power resources", that the next step is to improve the residents' step tariff system so that the electricity price can better reflect the power supply cost.

On June 24, the Chinese government's online magazine published the above reply. A Shaanxi netizen suggested in his previous message that "at present, there is a serious surplus of installed power, the supply exceeds the demand, and the output of power equipment is insufficient. Especially for thermal power plants, the utilization hours of equipment have declined for several consecutive years. The utilization hours of thermal power equipment in China have been less than 3000 hours / year, and nearly half of the units are idle all the year round. In view of the fact that electricity is already saturated and no longer in short supply, in order to improve people's lives and protect the environment, it is suggested to improve the original step tariff policy for residents, encourage urban and rural residents to use more clean power resources and use less coal for heating or cooking. "

In response, the national development and Reform Commission replied that "for a long time, China has tried out a lower electricity price for residents, and the electricity price for residents is significantly lower than the cost of power supply, because industrial and commercial users bear the corresponding cross subsidies. Compared with other countries in the world, China's residential electricity price is low, while the industrial and commercial electricity price is high. "

According to the national development and Reform Commission, "in accordance with the requirements of further deepening the market-oriented reform of electricity price, the next step is to improve the residents' step price system, gradually ease the cross subsidy of electricity price, so that the electricity price can better reflect the cost of power supply, restore the commodity attribute of electricity, and form a residents' electricity price mechanism that more fully reflects the cost of electricity use, the relationship between supply and demand, and the degree of resource scarcity."

In addition, the national development and Reform Commission also mentioned that "in order to encourage urban and rural residents to use more clean power resources and less coal for heating, the opinions on the price policy of clean heating in northern China (fgjg No. 1684) clearly states that the areas suitable for" coal to electricity "should optimize the residential electricity ladder price policy by improving the peak valley time-of-use price system on the sales side, We will vigorously promote the market-oriented trading mechanism to reduce the cost of electricity for clean heating. "

In addition, according to the official website of the national development and Reform Commission, the residential ladder electricity price system was implemented in July 2012, which has played a positive role in guiding residents to save electricity and use electricity reasonably, better reflecting the reform concept of "ensuring the basic" and promoting social equity. In December 2013, the national development and Reform Commission issued the notice on improving the residential ladder electricity price system, which supplemented and improved the relevant regulations.

Under the background of establishing and improving the green low-carbon circular development economic system and promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, the State Council issued the "guidance on accelerating the establishment and improvement of the green low-carbon circular development economic system" (GF No. 4) in February 2021, requiring "to continue to implement the household ladder electricity price, gas price and water price system".

Since the implementation of the step price system for residents for many years, many people have reflected that "the pricing can not keep up with the improvement of living standards".

For example, in September 2020, Zhejiang media "hour news" once published a review article saying, "the purpose of setting up step tariff is to raise the electricity cost of large power users and guide the society to save electricity while ensuring basic demand. Under this system, very few people can reach the third level of electricity consumption, but now, so many people around us have reflected that the electricity price is too high, so we need to pay attention to it. "

The article emphasizes that "the existing step tariff standard was implemented on July 1, 2012, eight years ago. The standard of that year was formulated according to the living standard and electricity consumption of that year. Now eight years have passed, and these eight years are also the eight years in which the living standard has been greatly improved. With the improvement of living standard and the popularization of household appliances, the power consumption is bound to be improved. "

As a matter of fact, Jiangsu, Guangdong and other provinces have adjusted the step price of residents this year.

According to Jiangsu media's "intersection" report in February 2021, the reporter learned from Jiangsu Provincial Development and Reform Commission that according to the relevant provisions of the national development and Reform Commission's residential ladder electricity price policy, Jiangsu has further improved the residential ladder electricity price in combination with the actual situation of the province. It is reported that the new scheme will be implemented from March 1.

According to the report, the monthly electricity consumption of residents is divided into three grades. The first grade is 230 degrees or less, maintaining the current electricity price standard; The second level is 231-400 degrees. On the basis of the first level, the price will be increased by 0.05 yuan per degree; The third level is higher than 400 degrees. On the basis of the first level, the price will be increased by 0.3 yuan per degree.

The Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission disclosed in its reply to the CPPCC member's proposal on canceling the "ladder price" and implementing the same price in the same network to promote the construction of a new development pattern that at the end of April 2021, in order to take care of the actual situation of families with a large population, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued a preferential policy of "one family with a large population" for residents with a ladder price, which stipulates that the number of people in a family is more than 5, Each household can apply for an increase of 100 kilowatt hours per month on the current basis; If the number of households reaches 7 or more, they can also choose to apply for the implementation of the household electricity price, instead of implementing the step-by-step increase.