Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 8) — Customers of the Manila Electric Company may expect lower electric bills in May with the power distributor announcing lower rates for the month.
Meralco said rates dropped to ₱8.7468 per kilowatt hour this month, ₱0.2483 per kWh less than April’s rate of ₱8.9951 per kWh.
The decrease means a typical household consuming 200 kWh per month will be paying around ₱50 less in its electric bill.
The power distributor attributed the downward rate adjustment to its invocation of the force majeure provision in its Power Supply Agreements, as it saw a “very significant reduction in power demand in its service area” during the enhanced community quarantine. This led to a lower generation charge for the month, Meralco said.
“This May, the Force Majeure claim totaled ₱877 million, equivalent to savings of ₱0.3452 per kWh, representing reduction in fixed costs and avoided charges from the temporary suspension of the mid-merit supply contracts recently approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC),” the company said in a statement.
Meralco’s service area includes Metro Manila, the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite, as well as parts of Laguna, Quezon, Batangas, and Pampanga.
On April 25, the Department of Energy announced a staggered payment scheme for household electric bills with the extension of the quarantine period until May 15.
Metro Manila, Central Luzon except Aurora, Calabarzon and other high-risk areas remain under strict enhanced community quarantine until mid-May, while all other provinces are placed under general community quarantine.
ADVISORY: Meralco electricity rate down by ₱0.24 per kWh in May. This means a typical household consuming 200 kWh a month will have a decrease of around ₱50 in the total bill for May https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/7xZrMfAdtU
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) May 8, 2020
