What Are Members Paying For Electric Where They Are?

[Mr Lee]

Since Manabouttown asked about food bills at the supermarket and since I cannot answer that because we go out to eat quite a few times a week, so our supermarket bill would not be a true account of what an expat spends, but I was wondering if electric rates vary a lot from place to place in the Philippines or in other countries? I checked our bill and found that electric in Cebu City and supplied by VECO costs us p8.4143 per kwh which for us adds up to about p7500 a month with the A/C running all the time and set on 25 or 26 depending on the outside temps.Anyone else in the Philippines or even in other countries that can tell us about what you are paying per kwh where you are? I believe p8.4143 works out to be around 18 cents US per kwh and I just checked two of my old Florida bills online and it cost between 11 and 13 cents per kwk. My average bills in the US are much lower than they are here in Cebu and our home there has more square feet and many more windows than our condo here so Cebu, so Cebu is much more expensive.

[TheMason]

I live in Manila and just got our electric bill from Meralco a couple days back. The rates have gone up since last month. We saw a per unit increase of just under 18%.Last month we used 149 kw/h and total bill of 1502.65 comes out to 10.08 pesos per kwh.This month we used 190 kwh and total bill of 2254.45 comes out to 11.86 pesos per kwh.The rates go up as you use more, but I don't know how much of our rate increase was due to incrased use and how much was from higher rates in general. Either way, our rate comes out to $0.26 per kwh. That's about double what I paid in the US as of 3 years ago. Don't know what the rates are there now though.

[volstateguy]

In Germany I paid 7.52 Euro cents per KWH on my last bill, which works out to just over 10 cents US. Not having or needing a/c here and my heating being ran by oil makes my electric bill my lowest monthly expence. Heating oil is where I spend the big dollars....will probably cost me about $2000 + to fill up the tank before I move out in November.

[Singers]

I pay 17.5P = 26Cent US, Kwh in UK.Gas for cooking/heating average £44 each month and £40 a month for electric oven/grill & TV/White good's etc.With Council Tax/water/TV licence a family in this neighbourhood is paying around £300 = US$450 a month before groceries.OFW here struggle to make ends meet with basic pay for them of US$10 (net) an hour and a rental flat costing min. £400 monthly. Pinoy couples here both work. Takes one income to live.Hope this helps.UK Tom

Edited April 14, 2010 by Singers

[UZI]

I live in Manila and just got our electric bill from Meralco a couple days back. The rates have gone up since last month. We saw a per unit increase of just under 18%.Last month we used 149 kw/h and total bill of 1502.65 comes out to 10.08 pesos per kwh.This month we used 190 kwh and total bill of 2254.45 comes out to 11.86 pesos per kwh.The rates go up as you use more, but I don't know how much of our rate increase was due to incrased use and how much was from higher rates in general. Either way, our rate comes out to $0.26 per kwh. That's about double what I paid in the US as of 3 years ago. Don't know what the rates are there now though.

It seems that around P6-7 per Kwh is what most people report around the RP. It is a fact that Meralco is the most expensive as they subsidize the other areas.I have dug out my Meralco bills to look at it in detail & I am baffled. I haven't been concerned as the monthly use remained similar year on year & my bills were ok but now I don't get why the per Kwh changes EVERY month whether the total bill is divided by the use or by the declared generation charge:...............Use.....Bill.....Per Kwh...Actual GenJan-08......329....2913 ......8.85.........4.43Jan-09......301....2826 ......8.5...........4.5Jan-10......249....2129 ......8.55.........3.92Feb-08......284....2362......8.3...........4.19Feb-09...............No bill Feb-10......297....2773......9.33.........4.93Mar-08......309...2776 ......8.98.........4.39Mar-09......420...4425 .....10.53........5.02Mar-10......317...3372......10.63........5.84We had family visiting for 2 weeks in Mar 08 so 2nd aircon used a lot. Anybody have an explanation to why the per Kwh is different EVERY month though?

[Mr Lee]

I live in Manila and just got our electric bill from Meralco a couple days back. The rates have gone up since last month. We saw a per unit increase of just under 18%.Last month we used 149 kw/h and total bill of 1502.65 comes out to 10.08 pesos per kwh.This month we used 190 kwh and total bill of 2254.45 comes out to 11.86 pesos per kwh.The rates go up as you use more, but I don't know how much of our rate increase was due to incrased use and how much was from higher rates in general. Either way, our rate comes out to $0.26 per kwh. That's about double what I paid in the US as of 3 years ago. Don't know what the rates are there now though.

It seems that around P6-7 per Kwh is what most people report around the RP. It is a fact that Meralco is the most expensive as they subsidize the other areas.I have dug out my Meralco bills to look at it in detail & I am baffled. I haven't been concerned as the monthly use remained similar year on year & my bills were ok but now I don't get why the per Kwh changes EVERY month whether the total bill is divided by the use or by the declared generation charge:...............Use.....Bill.....Per Kwh...Actual GenJan-08......329....2913 ......8.85.........4.43Jan-09......301....2826 ......8.5...........4.5Jan-10......249....2129 ......8.55.........3.92Feb-08......284....2362......8.3...........4.19Feb-09...............No bill Feb-10......297....2773......9.33.........4.93Mar-08......309...2776 ......8.98.........4.39Mar-09......420...4425 .....10.53........5.02Mar-10......317...3372......10.63........5.84We had family visiting for 2 weeks in Mar 08 so 2nd aircon used a lot. Anybody have an explanation to why the per Kwh is different EVERY month though?

We would pay about the same as you if we did not have to pay for all those added charges. I took our total bill including all the extra charges and then divided it by the kwh's we used, because the actual cost per is small compared to when you add all the fees. So while we used 955 kwh our bill for last month when we had company for 3 weeks, it came to p8,040.15 which is 8.419 per kwh with all fees included, so the fees are almost as much as the bill here in Cebu.

[UZI]

I live in Manila and just got our electric bill from Meralco a couple days back. The rates have gone up since last month. We saw a per unit increase of just under 18%.Last month we used 149 kw/h and total bill of 1502.65 comes out to 10.08 pesos per kwh.This month we used 190 kwh and total bill of 2254.45 comes out to 11.86 pesos per kwh.The rates go up as you use more, but I don't know how much of our rate increase was due to incrased use and how much was from higher rates in general. Either way, our rate comes out to $0.26 per kwh. That's about double what I paid in the US as of 3 years ago. Don't know what the rates are there now though.

It seems that around P6-7 per Kwh is what most people report around the RP. It is a fact that Meralco is the most expensive as they subsidize the other areas.I have dug out my Meralco bills to look at it in detail & I am baffled. I haven't been concerned as the monthly use remained similar year on year & my bills were ok but now I don't get why the per Kwh changes EVERY month whether the total bill is divided by the use or by the declared generation charge:...............Use.....Bill.....Per Kwh...Actual GenJan-08......329....2913 ......8.85.........4.43Jan-09......301....2826 ......8.5...........4.5Jan-10......249....2129 ......8.55.........3.92Feb-08......284....2362......8.3...........4.19Feb-09...............No bill Feb-10......297....2773......9.33.........4.93Mar-08......309...2776 ......8.98.........4.39Mar-09......420...4425 .....10.53........5.02Mar-10......317...3372......10.63........5.84We had family visiting for 2 weeks in Mar 08 so 2nd aircon used a lot. Anybody have an explanation to why the per Kwh is different EVERY month though?

We would pay about the same as you if we did not have to pay for all those added charges. I took our total bill including all the extra charges and then divided it by the kwh's we used, because the actual cost per is small compared to when you add all the fees. So while we used 955 kwh our bill for last month when we had company for 3 weeks, it came to p8,040.15 which is 8.419 per kwh with all fees included, so the fees are almost as much as the bill here in Cebu. Fees on our bill transmission charge 0.774 per kwhsystem loss charge 0.7887 per kwhdistribution charge 1.1165 per kwhsupply charge 0.2629 per kwhmetering charge 0.3953 per kwhcera 0.0034 per kwhicera 0.016 per kwhsubsidy on lifeline charge 0.0417govt revenuesfranchise tax local VAT added taxgenerationtransmissionsystem lossdistributionothers universal charges missionary electrification 0.0978 per kwhenvironmental charge 0.0025 per kwhSo did you take the total and divide it or just go by the per kwh fee listed?

Both are shown. 1st is total bill divided by Kwh used the 2nd is the actual generation charge without the EXTRAS.

[Mr Lee]

Both are shown. 1st is total bill divided by Kwh used the 2nd is the actual generation charge without the EXTRAS.

Sorry, now I see it

[UZI]

Both are shown. 1st is total bill divided by Kwh used the 2nd is the actual generation charge without the EXTRAS.

Sorry, now I see it :cheers: and yours has gone up to 10.63 per kwh, wow and I thought ours was bad. I know we would save quite a bit if we did not run the A/C 24/7 but I hate coming home to a hot home and I guess I am spoiled and wasteful, but we do turn it up when we go out and expect to be out for a long time, and then turn it back down as soon as we return and it cools off quickly that way. Thanks! :gday:

Providing your thermostat works correctly, it is probably better to leave it to maintain the temp rather than needing to run full on to bring the temp back down on your return. What I don't get is the strange logic of setting thermostats to 16 when most find 23-24 comfortable in the belief that it will bring down the temp faster :thumbsup:As for how the per Kwh is reached by members, perhaps they could let us know. Is it the bill divided by the Kwh used? Also as asked earlier does it change bill by bill?

[TheMason]

I live in Manila and just got our electric bill from Meralco a couple days back. The rates have gone up since last month. We saw a per unit increase of just under 18%.Last month we used 149 kw/h and total bill of 1502.65 comes out to 10.08 pesos per kwh.This month we used 190 kwh and total bill of 2254.45 comes out to 11.86 pesos per kwh.The rates go up as you use more, but I don't know how much of our rate increase was due to incrased use and how much was from higher rates in general. Either way, our rate comes out to $0.26 per kwh. That's about double what I paid in the US as of 3 years ago. Don't know what the rates are there now though.

These numbers include all the fees and other charges in addition to the generation charge. The generation charge fluctuates every month based on the cost of electricity from Meralco suppliers. About 30% of Meralco's electricity comes from the govt. electrical plants and the rest comes from privately owned plants. Meralco has contracts in place for a set price for much of their supply. However, in peak usage seasons, their contracted supply is not enough and they must purchase electricity on the spot market which costs much more. Contracted supply is only about 80% of actual demand as of now. The other 20% is purchased as needed at much higher prices. This is why your bill increases dramatically the more your usage goes up. They could do it cheaper by paying for more supply in their long-term contracts, but then Meralco and their suppliers would miss out on the opportunity to screw the consumer, and you know that's not going to happen.Mercalco also has a policy of deferring price increases. The actual price increase in March was about 1.5 pesos per kwh but roughly half of that was deferred and will be phased in over the next several months. I don't have my bill in front of me, but there is a charge on there for deferred increases. They do it this way to avoid huge increases for the consumer, but the effect is that rather than your bill going up a lot all at once and moving with the prices in the spot market, it gradually increases every month no matter what the prices on the spot energy market are.