Key takeaways
- Malta charges electricity in rising bands: the more you use in a year, the more each extra unit costs.
- Bands are annual but pro-rated to each bill, so a hot summer bill can tip you into a dearer band.
- Check that you are on the residential tariff and that your household size is registered correctly.
- Cutting usage saves most at the top band you reach.
Most Maltese households open their ARMS bill, look at the total and move on. But when a bill is much higher than expected, it helps to know how the number was built. The good news is that the structure is fairly simple once you know where to look.
Electricity is charged in bands
Residential electricity in Malta uses a rising block tariff. Your first units are the cheapest, and each band after that costs more per unit. The bands are set on a yearly basis:
| Annual consumption | Rate per kWh |
|---|---|
| 0–2,000 kWh | €0.1047 |
| 2,001–6,000 kWh | €0.1298 |
| 6,001–10,000 kWh | €0.1607 |
| 10,001–20,000 kWh | €0.3420 |
| Over 20,000 kWh | €0.6076 |
Because the bands are annual, ARMS pro-rates them to the number of days on each bill. On a roughly 60-day bill, the cheapest band covers only around 330 kWh. Use more than that in a hot summer and the rest of your units are charged at the next rate up.
Why your bill suddenly jumps
A bill can rise faster than your usage. If air conditioning pushes your consumption higher in July and August, those extra units are charged at a higher rate than your normal ones. That is why a summer bill can feel out of proportion, and why the top band you reach is where cutting back saves the most.
Residential or domestic tariff?
The residential tariff is for your main home. Properties that are not registered as someone's ordinary residence, such as a second home or a property where residents have not been registered, can be billed on the more expensive domestic tariff. If you live at the property and your bill shows the domestic tariff, contact ARMS to check your registration.
Household size and eco-reductions
ARMS uses the number of people registered at the address when applying certain reductions, including the eco-reduction for households that keep consumption low. If someone has moved in, or your household details are out of date, your bill may not reflect what you are entitled to. Your bill shows the number of persons registered, so it is worth checking.
Other things on the bill
Alongside the energy charge you will usually see a fixed service or meter charge, water charges, and sometimes adjustments for earlier estimated readings. An estimated reading followed by an actual one can make one bill look unusually high, so check whether readings are marked as actual or estimated.
How to check your own bill
Note the units consumed and the number of days covered, then enter them into our ARMS Bill Calculator. It shows how your units fall into each band, your average rate and what your next unit costs. If your usage is consistently high, our Solar Calculator can show whether rooftop solar could reduce it. For official account details, see ARMS Ltd.