Lower Meralco rates to be billed in January
Customers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will have some relief at the start of 2026 as the power distributor will implement its second straight rate cut this January.
In a media briefing, the company said on Monday that electricity rates this month would be slashed by P0.1637 per kilowatt hour (kWh), bringing down the overall rate for a typical household to P12.9508 per kWh from P13.1145 per kWh last December.
This means that a typical household consuming 200 kWh will see a reduction of about P33 in their electricity bill.
“While there were upward pressures on certain cost components this January, overall electricity rates declined—for the second straight month,” Meralco vice president and head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said.
“We hope that this development will bring relief to all our customers as we start another year,” the official added.
The downward adjustment was possible, thanks to the lower transmission charge. Meralco said the residential transmission rate fell by 10 centavos per kWh to P1.0368 per kWh on lower ancillary service charges.
Generation charge also dipped by P0.0171 per kWh to P7.7471 per kWh, as charges from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (Wesm) and power supply agreements (PSAs) decreased.
Wesm, PSAs and independent power producers accounted for 7 percent, 71 percent and 22 percent, respectively, of Meralco’s total energy requirement for the period.
The distribution charge, on the other hand, has remained unchanged since August 2022.
Meralco said it has proactive and preventive maintenance of its facilities in preparation for the summer months.
“On the supply side, we have always ensured that we have adequate capacity in coming into our system to make sure that we will be able to supply efficient, reliable and adequate electricity to all our customers,” Zaldarriaga said.
Meralco is the country’s biggest power distributor, servicing Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal and selected areas in Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.
