Saed News: Bita Rashid Haji, a media activist, wrote a thought-provoking text regarding the recent statements of the President about energy consumption savings.
According to the Saed News Social Affairs Service, quoting Haft Sobh, Tavanir Company has announced that from now on, the electricity cost for high-consumption users will be up to 40% more expensive. At first glance, this decision may be justifiable for saving energy and preserving natural resources, but has every aspect truly been considered?
In our country, where summers with temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius are experienced in some areas, on what basis is “high consumption” determined? Is using electricity to run a cooler or fan, in a household that has just one refrigerator and one television, considered wastefulness or a basic necessity to maintain health and survival?
Recently, the President said in a gathering that “in the past, we lived without coolers.” This sentence seems simple on the surface but hides a harsh truth: not all parts of Iran, including Tehran, have pleasant weather! In the south and central parts of the country, heat is not just a temporary discomfort but a life-threatening danger for infants, patients, and the elderly. Should these people survive with just a fan, water jugs, or imaginary pools in the minds of policymakers?
We, the people, pay our electricity bills every month. Yet in return, we neither receive stable electricity nor clear answers for frequent outages. Meanwhile, damages caused by power cuts — from burning home appliances to harm to people’s health — are never compensated. How is it that in tariff calculations, the electricity company acts precisely and ruthlessly, but remains silent regarding its social responsibilities?
A more important question is: should the definition of high consumption be based on a luxury lifestyle or an essential need? Is a home that runs only one cooler during the hot summer in southern Iran deserving of the “high consumption” label? If prices increase, will the quality of services increase as well? Is there any plan to strengthen infrastructure or support vulnerable groups?
Living in the atomic age should not mean returning to Stone Age conditions. The people of Iran, especially in hot regions, have the right to live with comfort, health, and dignity — not with a fan and relying on the hope of a breeze. Justice in policymaking means understanding different conditions, not applying a single formula for people with diverse climates and circumstances.
