Hundreds of people turned up at the PN headquarters on Saturday, electricity bills and ID cards in hand, heeding a call by leader Bernard Grech.

On Wednesday, Grech pledged a €50 million refund to consumers who have been paying more for their electricity consumption since 2013. He said the refunds would be made once the Nationalist Party is in government.

He said that an analysis by the National Audit Office of Enemalta’s tariff structure had confirmed what the Nationalist Party had been saying for years: that consumers were being robbed millions of euros through additional payments as a result of the way their bills were being worked out. 

Grech was reacting to a story revealed by Times of Malta that according to a draft report by the NAO, consumers could have paid “extra charges” totalling €6.5 million on their electricity and water bills.

Following Grech’s pledge, the party on Thursday invited the public to turn up at its headquarters on Saturday to register their interest in the refund scheme.

“I came here because I suspected for some time that my bills were too high and speaking to my family and friends I realised that I wasn’t the only one,” said a woman who did not wish to be named.

“But when I took the issue up with ARMS they told me that if the readings matched those on my meter, then the bill is correct. The issue is not with the meter but with the way they are charging us, so I am here today to make sure I am paying for what is fair and not how the government decides to set the price.”

One man, Alex, said: “I thought I would take my chance today as a few years ago Joseph Muscat commented that the anomaly would be addressed and nothing has been done about it since.

“I feel this is an issue that transcends party politics. What is bad will always be bad and you lose nothing, other than an hour waiting in line, to try to do something about it.” 

He added that he did not feel it was fair that citizens had to pay higher rates because of disadvantageous energy deals.

“Labour had pulled this stunt as well with the VAT on cars, the key difference here being you buy a car every 10 years but you pay your electricity bill every two months,” he said.

“Why should I have to pay more just because some corrupt politicians sought to fatten their pockets? At the end of the day I’m the one who gets up for work at 4am everyday. The politicians aren’t paying my bills,” he said.

Another woman, Carmen, said she lived with her sister and their bills have been sky high despite the fact that they use a well for water.

“We are both pensioners and we need to get by somehow. Life has many challenges, so getting a refund, or at least a reduction on these bills would make a significant difference in our lives.”

Noel Dimech, from San Ġwann, said that after installing solar panels he did not see any improvement on his bills.

"I feel like I should just pull them up and throw them away, at least I would get my roof space back."

He said he followed up the issue with ARMS several times but his bills remain suspiciously inconsistent.

"They are not dated and do not match up, I’ve thought for some time that something is not right.” 

Dimech added that the authorities should take note of what was happening as people have been complaining about the matter for some time.

“I think this is a really important issue that needs to be resolved. If the government pays attention and sees how many people have come here today, it should realise that something is seriously wrong and does something about it.”