Member-consumer-owners of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) will be getting a timely Christmas present from the electric cooperative after power rates being charged to them slightly decreased this month compared to the power rates billed to them last month.
From the P10.4744 per kilowatt hour residential rate in November, BENECO’s residential rate for December dropped to P10.4698/kwh or P0.0046/kwh less than the previous billing.
BENECO general manager Engr. Melchor S. Licoben disclosed that among the factors that caused the drop-in power rates in December include the decrease in the generation and systems loss charges aside from the temporary suspension of the Feed in tariff allowance in the next 3 months.
BENECO’s current systems loss charge of P0.7076/kwh is P0.0167/kwh lower compared to the November systems loss charge of P0.7243/kwh.
Further, the P0.0364/kwh Fit All in November was temporarily suspended in the next 3 months starting with the December power bills of consumers.
On the other hand, BENECO’s commercial high voltage rate of P8.1702/kwh this December is P0.0455/kwh lower than the similar charge in November which was P8.2157/kwh.
For public building high voltage charge, BENECO’s December rate of PP8.1424/kwh is P0.0455/kwh lower compared to the similar charge last month which was P8.1879/kwh.
However, the commercial low voltage, industrial, public building low voltage and streetlight charges increased in the December billing period compared to the charges last month.
For commercial low voltage charge, the December rate of P9.7622/kwh is higher by P0.0110/kwh compared to the P9.7511/kwh.
The December industrial charge of P9.7308/kwh is also P0.110/kwh higher compared to last month’s charge of P9.7198/kwh.
For public building lower voltage charge, the December rate of P9.7344/kwh is higher by P0.110/kwh compared to last month’s charge of P9.7234/kwh. While streetlights also increased by P0.110/kwh from last month’s charge of P9.7511/kwh to the prevailing rate of P9.7622/kwh.
Earlier, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) issued a resolution to temporarily suspend the collection of the Fit All charge as a component of the monthly power rate being charged to consumers to help mitigate the effects of the high cost of coal in the world market and the variable peso-dollar exchange rate which had been impacting the power rates over the past several months.
BENECO is still one of the rural electric cooperatives in the country that charges the cheapest power rates from its consumers where the said power charges can actually compete with the charges being imposed by private distribution utilities with much larger area of operation and much larger number of consumers.
Moreover, BENECO is able to maintain its Class AAA status amidst the pending leadership crisis created by the National electrification Administration Board of Administrators when it appointed an unqualified and not recommended general manager to the said post.
