The return of severe load-shedding is pushing up household costs as residents rush to buy IPS units, rechargeable fans and lights, while apartment buildings with generators face higher fuel bills.
Nawabpur Complex, a wholesale market for electrical equipment in Old Dhaka, has been crowded with customers throughout the day, with many looking for backup power equipment.
At Nazifa Enterprise on the ground floor, Farid Uddin came to buy an IPS after repeatedly facing power cuts at home. “After returning from work all day, I find there is no electricity. My children have classes and exams. How long can we bear the heat?” he said.
He spent Tk30,000 on an IPS, saying he had little choice despite the higher prices. “Despite the price hike, I have been forced to buy one,” he said.
Another customer, Joyita Chatterjee, said, “We have been forced to buy one because we simply cannot cope.”
Those who can afford it are buying IPS units, while households with tighter budgets are turning to rechargeable fans and lights.
Sellers said IPS prices have risen by an average of around 32 per cent in three months, while battery prices have increased by 27 per cent. Rechargeable fan prices have risen by 50 per cent, they said.
The same trend is visible in Gulistan Stadium Market, Kaptan Bazar, Malibagh and Mouchak, where sellers said demand remains strong despite price increases.
Mohammad Saikat Hasan, owner of Lincoln Electronics in Jigatola, told TIMES of Bangladesh that IPS sales had risen sharply in the past 10 days. “I have never sold this many IPS units even in the past few years,” he said.
Tarikul, an employee at Sanjog Power Pack, a wholesale shop in Tejgaon, said, “We used to sell 10 to 12 IPS units a day. Now we sell at least 30 to 40.”
He said customers were increasingly opting for solar IPS systems. Gaus, owner of JJ Power House at Kaptan Bazar Complex Building 1, said battery prices had risen by 10 to 15 per cent in the past two months.
IPS units ranging from 280 watts to 7,500 watts are available in the markets, with prices ranging from Tk20,000 to Tk1 lakh depending on capacity.
Shah Alam, a salesperson at Mim Battery House in Malibagh, said a 320-watt IPS can run two fans and three to four lights for a small family.
The IPS costs Tk10,000 to Tk11,000 and requires at least an 80-ampere-hour battery, starting at Tk12,500.
A 1,000-watt IPS costs Tk14,000, while the required battery costs Tk26,000. A good-quality 500-watt IPS and battery can cost Tk52,000.
Solar options are also becoming popular. A 1,200-watt solar inverter costs Tk23,000 to Tk25,000, while a 12V 100Ah lithium battery with a three-year warranty costs Tk28,000 to Tk31,000.
A good-quality 550-watt solar panel costs around Tk13,500 and can power three LED lights and two fans, sellers said.
Battery prices surge
Tarek Hossain, managing director of MB International in Gulistan, said IPS imports had declined this year, with batteries posing the main problem.
He said imports of distilled water used in IPS batteries had been disrupted amid the war in the Middle East.
“A jar that used to sell for Tk500 now costs Tk3,500,” he said.
Arifur Rahman Bhuiyan, senior product manager at Hamko Corporation Ltd, said imports from India had been disrupted from last year until January this year.
Several major brands imported around 50,000 IPS units, but imports have declined somewhat this year, he said.
The power crisis is also raising operating costs for battery manufacturers, as factories need electricity to charge battery plates and manufacture components.
A seller said factories were struggling to maintain production amid load-shedding. Although many have generators, owners are reluctant to use them because of high diesel costs.
Generator costs add to burden
Apartment buildings that rely on generators are also facing higher monthly expenses as fuel costs rise.
Abdus Salam, owner of a building in Mirpur-11, said its generator consumes 3.60 litres of diesel an hour.
At Tk115 a litre, one hour of load-shedding costs the building Tk414. The cost is shared among the owners or tenants of its 14 flats, amounting to around Tk30 per flat for each hour of generator use.
Salam said the generator runs for two to three hours a day, and the building requires more than 250 litres of diesel a month.
As a result, residents of each flat are spending around Tk2,000 a month on diesel alone.
