Customers of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will need to pay additional P0.2744 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in their electric bills this month, as the overall tariff of the utility firm had increased to P8.7497 per kWh this January from last month’s P8.4753 per kWh.
For typical residential customers in the 200-kWh usage threshold, they will brace for an aggregate upward adjustment of P55 in their forthcoming bills.
The utility firm indicated that the tariff hike should have been heftier if not for the mitigated adjustments ordered by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on the over-recoveries and under-recoveries of Meralco.
The regulatory body in particular ordered a refund of Meralco’s over-recoveries for three months; while the collection of under-recoveries had been stretched within two years or 24 months, hence, that will result in a net refund to Meralco customers of P0.1150 per kWh in the current billing cycle.
Despite the higher rate this month, Meralco noted that its all-inclusive tariff for January is still P0.70 per kWh lower compared to the P9.4523 per kWh passed on in the same month last year. (Myrna M. Velasco)
