Meralco hikes electricity rate by P0.1488/kWh for June 2026

Customers of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) should brace for higher electricity bills this month as the power distributor raised its household rate for June.

In an advisory on Thursday, Meralco announced a P0.1488 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) reduction in its household electricity rate for this month.

This brought the overall household rate up to P14.4833 per kWh for June from P14.3345 per kWh in May.

The upward adjustment could translate to a P29.76 increase in this month's bill of a typical household consuming 200 kWh.

Meralco attributed the rate hike to higher generation charge, which was partly tempered by lower transmission charge.

Generation charge rose by P0.2762 per kWh to P9.0704 from P8.7942 per kWh month-on-month.

This was due to the increase in Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to P7.0281 per kWh due to tight supply conditions in the Luzon as the grid was placed on red alert for three straight days from May 13 to 15, as "demand for electricity exceeded 2024's record level—which was affected at the time by El Niño—and generation capacity became constrained following a couple of transmission line trippings."

Meanwhile, the overall rate hike was tempered by the decrease in transmission charge by P0.1525 per kWh.

Moreover, taxes and other charges had a net increase of P0.0251 per kWh.

Meralco said customers also continue to benefit from its ongoing refund, equivalent to P0.4278 per kWh for residential customers.

The power distributor said pass-through charges for generation and transmission are paid by Meralco to the power suppliers and the grid operator, respectively; while taxes, universal charges, and Feed-in Tariff Allowance are all remitted to the government.

The company said its distribution charge has not moved since the P0.0360 per kWh reduction for a typical residential customer beginning August 2022.

Meralco said significantly higher consumption of customers in May, which was triggered by extreme heat, will have an impact on the bills that they will receive this June.

"While there is an increase in electricity rates this month, elevated consumption patterns observed in May is also a major factor that could drive higher power bills of customers," said Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga.

With this, the power distributor urged its customers to continue managing and monitoring their consumption.

It said customers can check the historical bill consumption chart in their bills or utilize the "Meralco Appliance Calculator," which provides detailed information on the energy consumption of common appliances and gadgets.

"In addition, we urge customers to learn how to read their electric meters so they can gain better visibility into their actual consumption, monitor their energy use, and adopt habits that help manage electricity costs more effectively," said Zaldarriaga.

Meralco also called on its customers to continue practicing energy efficiency such as regular cleaning of air conditioner filters and electric fan blades, ironing clothes in bulk, refraining from overfilling refrigerators, and using LED bulbs for cost-saving lighting.

As part of consumer protection efforts, the company reminded customers to "refrain from posting electricity bills on social media, as these contain sensitive personal information that could expose them to cybersecurity risks."

"For concerns on electricity bills, we encourage our customers to get in touch with Meralco through our various customer touch points for assistance," said Zaldarriaga. — VDV, GMA News