Meralco dispels ‘bill shock’

By Chito Lozada – May 16, 2020 03:00 AM
from tribune.net.ph

The move of power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to suspend the collection of electricity dues to comply with the provisions of the Bayanihan Act may have caused confusion on the accumulated amount, thus, the allegations of an “unusual spike.”

The law provides for relief measures to persons affected by the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga stressed the alleged bill shock may have been caused by the unfamiliar scheme that employed estimates on electricity use during “the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period” that restricted travel including those of meter readers.

“Some March and all April bills were estimated based on the past three months’ average daily consumption, following the Distribution Services and Open Access Rules (DSOAR) issued by the ERC.”

Low months as basis
Zaldarriaga noted “the 3 months that were used as basis- December 2019, January 2020 and February 2020, were considered ‘low consumption’ months as these were significantly cooler months compared to the summer months of March, April and May.”

Zaldarriaga pointed out other factors may have affected customers’ May bill, including increased consumption during the ECQ, as everyone is at home.

“So, appliances are usually switched on most of the time throughout the day, especially appliances like fans and airconditioners, which most households would use 12 to 24 hours per day during the ECQ from six to eight hours per day before ECQ,” Zaldarriaga noted.

Also, temperatures are currently at a record high, leading to higher use of cooling devices, he indicated.