Financial Tribune � Although peak electricity demand hour growth soared by 5% on average between 2008 and 2018, the figure has barely risen by 1% in the past two months compared to the average of the last ten years, the Energy Ministry spokesman for the power department said Saturday.

"Electricity tariffs are not high enough to compel heavy users to change their ways. The marked reduction in consumption is rooted in other policies adopted by the Energy Ministry,� Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi was quoted as saying by Bargh News website.

Elaborating on the ministry's regular appeals to curtail electricity consumption between June and August, he said based on a contract with the agriculture sector, farmers who turn off their water pumps during peak hours (12 p.m. to 4 p.m.) are eligible for discounts in the non-peak hours. He did not provide details, but said similar plans such as "Agriculture Sector Demand Response (DR) Program" helped reduce the load on the national grid in previous years.