The sweltering summer heat, coupled with the deceptively humid weather in Kerala, increased electricity consumption to such an extent that daily records were reset in mid-April. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
If anything was going to put a significant dent in household budgets in Kerala this summer, it would be the electricity bill. The sweltering summer heat, coupled with not-so-humid weather in the state, increased electricity consumption to the point that records were being renewed daily in mid-April.
On April 25, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) advised consumers to avoid charging electric vehicles or using appliances that absorb electricity after 6 pm. The increase in consumption is largely attributed to an over-reliance on air conditioners to beat the heat. For the first time in the history of the state’s power sector, this summer peak evening electricity demand from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm crossed the 6,000 megawatt (MW) mark. Kerala also saw a rocket in daily consumption to 117.18 million units (mu) on April 18. So far, the daily consumption in April was 107.23 mu on average. To give an idea, in April 2025 it was 95 mu. Additionally, as of April 25, the state was reporting a 43% summer rainfall deficit, according to the India Meteorological Department. All this takes on significance when read with the fact that Kerala ‘imports’ more than 70% of its electricity from outside the state. Of the remaining roughly 30% produced in the state, hydropower is the mainstay, but is generally kept to a minimum during the summer months as a contingency reserve.
Published – 27 Apr 2026 0:13 IST
