• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative and Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative announced slight increases in their residential rates this billing month of January.
Ceneco acting general manager, Atty. Arnel Lapore, said Jan. 16 that the average residential rate for this month is P10.8350 per kilowatt hour, or an increase of P0.0656/kWh, from last month’s rate of P10.7694/kWh.
“The P0.0656/kWh rate hike is attributed to the increase in average transmission charges by 10.35 percent due to the increase in the Ancillary Service Charge, from P238.3902/kW to P286.4237/kW, or an upward adjustment of P48.0335/kW,” Lapore explained in an advisory.
Noceco, meanwhile, said its residential rate for January is at P12.2471/kWh, from P11.8220/kWh in December, or an increase of P0.4251/kWh.
It was driven by the total generation charge, which increased by P0.1450/kWh as compared to last month, as well as the P0.1969/kWh transmission rate hike.
Noceco said that its Distribution, Supply, and Metering (DSM) charges of P1.6109/kWh remain unchanged since February 2010, regardless of the monthly adjustments in the overall electricity rate.
For Ceneco, its DSM charges remained at P1.1866/kWh, also since 2010. “In monitoring the monthly electricity usage, consumers are advised to look at their kilowatt-hour consumption and not on the bill amount since it varies depending on the pass-through charges.”
Meanwhile, Noceco said it forecast higher electricity rates in the coming months. “It is expected that electricity prices are usually higher in the hot season when total demand is high because more expensive generation sources are added to meet the increased demand in electricity.” | CGC
