LOWER RATES. Meralco spokesperson and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga speaks in a hybrid press conference in Pasay City on Monday (April 8, 2024). Zaldarriaga announced lower power rates for April. (Screenshot from ZOOM)
MANILA – The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced Monday that electricity rates in its franchise areas declined by nearly PHP1 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in April 2024.
Meralco spokesperson and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga said in a press briefing in Pasay City that the company reduced their power rate by PHP0.9879 per kWh this month to PHP10.9519 from the electricity rate in March at PHP11.9397 per kWh.
The said adjustment will bring down the electricity rate of a household customer consuming 100 kWh a month to PHP198 for its April 2024 electricity bill.
“The significant reduction in this month’s overall electricity rate wiped out the increases in power rates for the first quarter of the year,” Zaldarriaga said.
The increase in Meralco rates for the past three months stood at PHP0.6813 per kWh. With the rate reduction for April, the year-to-date adjustment had a net decrement of PHP0.3066 per kWh.
Lower generation and transmission charges cut the overall rates for this month, which declined by PHP0.3613 and PHP0.4655 per kWh, respectively.
“Despite the rate reduction, Meralco continues to encourage its customers to continue practicing energy efficiency, especially during summer when consumption historically increases anywhere from 10 to 40 percent due to warmer temperatures,” Zaldarriaga added. (PNA)
