Average power bills went down by about eight (8) percent last month, thanks to lower generation costs and refunds ordered by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
Analysis of the monthly bills of customers of the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (FICELCO) showed that the Generation System Charge collected for the power delivered by its suppliers – Sunwest Water & Electricity Co. (SUWECO) and Isla Dagyab Energy Corporation – dropped by 76 centavos to P11.3305 per kilowatt-hour in August 2026, compared to the previous month’s P12.0944/kWh.
The Systems Loss Charge also decreased from P1.3350/kWh to P1.2012/kWh in August.
Contributing to the relatively lower electricity cost were cost adjustments mandated by the ERC under Case No. 2017-003 CF promulgated last Aug. 5 on FICELCO’s applications filed in 2017, 2020 and 2023 for the approval of so-called “over/under recoveries” in the implementation of automatic cost adjustments.
In the decision, the Commission directed the electric cooperative to refund its customers in mainland Catanduanes and Palumbanes island a total of P64 million on over-recoveries in generation, Systems Loss, Lifeline Subsidy, Senior Citizen Subsidy and Inter-Class Cross Subsidy.
On the other hand, it also ordered FICELCO to collect a total of P2.77 million from its Member-Consumer-Owners (MCOs) due to under-recoveries with regards to the Local Franchise Tax, Real Property Tax and Business Tax paid to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and local government units.
The amounts have to be refunded or collected from consumers over a period of 48 months and would cost the cooperative somewhere in the vicinity of a million pesos monthly.
| FOR REFUND | Covered Area | Amount to be refunded or collected in 48 months | Refund equivalent in PhP/kWh |
| Generation | Mainland | P41,406,478.50 | P0.1257/kWh |
| Generation | Palumbanes | P552,175.07 | P0.8210/kWh |
| Systems Loss | Mainland | P21,016,929.96 | P0.0638/kWh |
| Systems Loss | Palumbanes | P586,045.44 | P0.8713/kWh |
| Lifeline Subsidy | All consumers | P305,015.35 | P0.0009/kWh |
| Senior Citizen Subsidy | All consumers | P33,547.90 | P0.0001/kWh |
| Inter-Class Cross Subsidy | All consumers | P178,196.52 | P0.0014/kWh |
| FOR COLLECTION | |||
| Local Franchise Tax | All consumers | P1,047,719.37 | P0.0032/kWh |
| Real Property Tax | All consumers | P327,495.73 | P0.0010/kWh |
| Business Tax | Selected LGUs | P1,411,805.25 | |
| Bato | P0.0031/kWh | ||
| Caramoran | P0.0007/kWh | ||
| Pandan | P0.0128/kWh | ||
| San Andres | P0.0011/kWh | ||
| Viga | P0.0083/kWh | ||
| Virac | P0.0055/kWh |