oh my gosh.........a 40% increase in my monthly bill........do we have new charges in place

You can bet.This will be accompanied by proprtionate blackouts .....Seriously though,i have lost business due to this blackouts and i have been mulling about going green (Solar lighting and heating) ....or even better,a wind mill like Suntech's Whisper 900....Who is in the market and where would i get reliable and affordable panels or windmills in Kenya? ...Prices?.Will appreciate.

Scrutinize your bill properly; you will probably find that there was a change in the "Adjustments" but the standard rates remain the same.

Also, chances are that you have always consumed just below 200 units; perhaps in the 190s range. the you did something extra last month - a very little extra that you can't even remember - and that added just 10 units to your normal consumption.

10 units are quite little, but they moved you slightly above 200 units... suddenly you qualified for VAT on the whole consumption!

That is quite a common phenomenon for many people who complain about sudden jumps in the bill.