Feeling the financial strain of the country’s ongoing recession, a growing number of consumers are turning to lower-cost night-zone electricity to help make ends meet, market data shows.

In 2016, the number of applications submitted by consumers for installation of off-peak power meters rose by 20 percent compared to the previous year, HEDNO (Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator) data showed.

This trend has continued into 2017 for a rise at a similar rate of around 20 percent, year-to-year, data collected so far has indicated.

However, consumers have expressed some frustration over alleged delays by authorities, said to be responding slowly to applications made for off-peak power meter installations.

In the colder months of the year, night-zone electricity tariffs are available from November 1 to April 30 (02:00-08:00 and 15:00-17:00) for consumers linked to the mainland grid and islands linked to the mainland grid. The off-peak zones for non-interconencted islands are available 02:00-08:00 and 15:00-17:00. During the warmer months, or between May 1 and October 31, off-peak tariffs are available between 23:00 and 07:00. HEDNO is responsible for setting these time periods.

Besides the main power utility PPC, lower night-zone electricity tariffs are now also offered by most independent suppliers.