PRE is offering discounts to Praguers who cut back on electricity use

Electric company Pražská energetika (PRE) will give a discount to households that reduce their annual electricity consumption in winter. PRE is the dominant electricity provider in Prague and the surrounding area, servicing about 700,000 households.

To receive the reward, customers must reduce their consumption year-on-year compared to the period between Nov. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. But the discount is not automatic. To prove the savings, the customer must read the electricity meter themself by taking a photo of it and uploading it to the PRE website.

The first photo of the electricity meter must be taken and sent via the website between Nov. 1, 2022, and Nov. 15, 2022. The deadline for taking and sending the second photo is between March 31, 2023, and April 15, 2023.

Households with a single tariff rate will receive a bonus of CZK 750 if they cut electricity use by 5 percent. If they reduce by at least 10 percent, they will receive CZK 1,500 from PRE. Households with a two-tariff rate will receive a bonus of CZK 1,500 if they cut usage by at least 10 percent annually, and a bonus of CZK 3,000 if they cut back over 20 percent.

The single tariff distribution rate applies to people who use electricity for lighting, cooking, and using common appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, or televisions. The two-tariff rate is for customers that also use electricity for water heating or heating.

The special premium will be credited to the client’s PRE customer account and then deducted from the electricity payment in the next bill. PRE said that it was the first large supplier in the Czech Republic to offer such a discount.

Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela said the PRE plan is a step in the right direction, adding he hopes other companies will follow suit. The ministry will try to create a similar motivation to reduce electricity usage, he said.

Semi-state company ČEZ is also taking steps to reward customers for saving energy. "In addition to government assistance, savings are key to coping with this heating season. We are already allowing customers to reduce their bills and relieve the family budget if they reduce their consumption for some time and enter a self-report," ČEZ spokesman Roman Gazdík said.

Energy firm Innogy spokesman Pavel Grochál, though, said that firm is not planning a similar program.