Rio’s New Cosip Rules Raise Power Bills, Using January Consumption as Benchmark

Overview

• From February bills, the revised municipal lighting contribution (Cosip) is calculated off January consumption and will remain fixed until Aneel’s next tariff decision, typically late in the year.
• Most residential users pay more once monthly usage exceeds 171 kWh, with a simulated jump of 132.7% for the 301–350 kWh band (from R$19.38 to R$45.09).
• Households consuming up to 120 kWh per month are exempt under the new rules, covering roughly 1.2 million accounts.
• The charge appears on Light bills under “Contrib Ilum Pública Municipal,” must be paid with the electricity bill, and disputes over consumption banding should be directed to the utility.
• City hall earmarks Cosip revenue for public lighting, monitoring systems and security initiatives, including the planned armed Força Municipal.