Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes time‑of‑use electricity pricing for households

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has added a proposal to the draft amendment of the Electricity Law that would allow residential customers to be billed according to time‑of‑use (TOU) tariffs – normal, peak and off‑peak periods. Until now, TOU rates have applied only to industrial and commercial users.

MOIT Deputy Director Bùi Quốc Hùng explained that household electricity consumption ranks second after industry in national output, prompting a pilot for large‑consumption homes and those using high‑power appliances. The goal is to encourage users to shift load to off‑peak hours, easing strain on the grid, especially as solar generation has altered midday demand patterns.

Implementation faces technical hurdles: existing household meters record consumption on a single tariff ladder and cannot differentiate time slots. Deploying electronic meters capable of three‑band measurement and upgrading data‑transmission networks would be required. The ministry is still evaluating social impact and technological feasibility before setting a rollout timetable.

In response to rising June bills driven by extreme heat, the state electricity corporation EVN launched a trial mobile app, “EVN CSKH,” allowing users to set consumption alerts and better manage costs.