MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Electricity consumers in the Philippine capital will soon have control over their power bills as the Manila Electric Co (Meralco) is set to implement its prepaid electricity service.
Meralco is expected to roll out its “Kuryente Load” after getting approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission, subject to certain conditions.
“There are no service fees, no bill deposit and no meter installation fee, making it more accessible for the previously unserved customers,” Meralco said in a statement.
The ERC, however, stressed that Meralco should stop the prepaid electricity service or assign it to a qualified entity once the retail competition and open access are fully implemented.
The regulator also added that the meters for the prepaid retail electricity service under the Kuryente load program should be provided by Meralco and must be tested and sealed by the ERC before these are installed.
Kuryente Load is Meralco’s newest innovation, allowing its customers to save up to 20 percent in electricity expenses.
Under the Kuryente Load prepaid service, customers are allowed to monitor and control their consumption through daily balance notifications.
Meralco said Kuryente Load has made electricity more affordable through denominations of as low as P100.
The prepaid electricity load program was first offered in Manila and in some portions of Angono, Taytay and Cainta town sin Rizal province but the approval means the utility firm will implement the program to more sites under its franchise area. – BusinessNewsAsia.com