Understanding your Meralco Bill

So, I have a new branch for Enzo’s Shawarma. 1 month kami nagrerenovate and in that one month, the only electricity we consumed was for lights and siguro ilang araw may nagdrill. We haven’t opened yet, but we already received our fist bill which is 2800 pesos. Binayaran na lang namin pero the oc-oc in me awakened. Wait wait wait! Bakit ang laki ng bill ko e wala pa ngang gamit dun? Walang freezer, ref, electricfans etc. Napraning ako! Naisip ko na baka may naka-tap! Or baka may previous balance tapos ako ang nagbaya. But when I checked the bill there's no previous balance naman and tama din kasi mababa lang ang konsumo, 19 kwh lang. Actually, hindi ko din alam kung mababa ba or mataas tong 19kwh kaya I compared it to our meralco bill sa bahay and sa dating branch ko. Sa house, our consumption last month was 988 kwh. Our bill is 12k pesos. Syempre compute ako. BILL divided by TOTAL KWH used = peso rate per kwh.

So example:

MERALCO BILL = P12,740.68

TOTAL KWH = 988 (your consumption for the month)

P12,740.68 / 988 = P12.89

Meaning for every kwh na magamit mo, you multiply it by P12.89 tapos yun na ang bill mo for that month.This is the easiest way to compute. Like if nagpapa lease ka, for you to compute your lessee’s electric bill, kukunin mo lang yun rate per kwh tpos multiply mo sa naconsume nya (which you will get by subtracting the before and after reading sa submeter).

So, if we apply this equation to my first bill sa new pwesto ko, kakabaliw! See below:

MERALCO BILL = P2,804.20 (This is our first bill na hindi pa naman kami open)

TOTAL KWH = 19 (my consumption)

P2,804.20 / 19 = P147.59 Pesoses!!!!!

So, kung ang naconsume ko is yung normal na talga which around 988 kwh (like yun sa house ko), ang magiging bill ko (multiplied by P147.59) is P145,818????!!!!

Syempre, hindi ako nakatulog! May mali! Nag google ako ng nag google to find an answer! Someone also told me that there’s a fixed charge sa Meralco bill if commercial rate. So, even if there’s ZERO consumption, you will still receive a bill of around 2k plus. Forever na nandun si 2k plus. 

So, the following day, pagpatak ng 6:30 AM nagising na ko at nasa isip ko pa din ang Merlaco bill na yan. I called our Meralco Branch at 8:30Am para humingi ng explanation! 

Sabi ni kuya kapag commercial rate daw there’s a minimum charge per month pag zero ang consumption. He pulled up the bill from last month and yun nga, zero consumption pero may bill na around P2500. Sabi ko kay kuya, so yan bang minimum na 2500 is anjan lang forever? Nawawala daw yun pag may consumption ka. Sabi ko, e bakit 2800 ang bill ko, may 19kwh naman akong consumption. Kasi kung mawawala si 2500 minimum, e di dapat wala pang P500 ang bill ko, diba? Medyo nalito din si kuya pero while we were discussing, pareho naming narerealize ang sagot sa aming mga katanungan. Actually ako ang sumasagot sa mga tanong ko tapos nag aagree lang sya. Kainis.

If you check the back part of the bill. May part dun na DISTRIBUTION. Dun makikita yun fixed charges per month. There are 2 fixed charges, FIXED METERING CHARGE and FIXED SUPPLY CHARGE. Whether residential or commercial, parehong may fixed charges. The only difference is the amount. Pag commercial mas malaki, P430.62 and P441.49,  as compared sa residential na P5 and P19 lang.

This is the back part of the Meralco bill of my commercial space. 

This is for the residential

So never talga magkakaron  ng zero Meralco bill kasi itong fixed Distribution charges anjan sila forever.  Distribution charge is the cost associated with the maintenance, upgrading, and expansion of the distribution system of a Distribution Utility. Tapos pag commercial, yun nga mas mataas ang singil nila. Super more than 100 percent.

So, I realized kanina na pag commercial rate ka, mas masusulit mo yung 2k plus na minimum distribution charge if mas mataas ang na-consume mo. Gamitin mo na lang ang kuryente kesa naman d ka nga gumagamit, may bayad pa din naman. Parang nadidivide yun 2k plus minimum charge dun sa actual meralco bill mo. 

See below. Kuya pulled up the January to Feb bill of the same pwesto but different tenant pa.

MERALCO BILL: P5K plus

TOTAL KWH: 278kwh (naconsume nya)

VS

FIRST MERALCO BILL KO: P2800

TOTAL KWH: 19kwh (naconsume ko)

See? Mas mura kpag mas malaki nagamit mo. Kasi pinakinabangan mo naman yun kuryente. Kaya ok lang yun binayad mo. E ito, ilaw lang 2800?!  Ang OA!

Ayun.. Hopefully, tama tong analysis ko sa meralco bill ko. Sana my next bill will be normal na kc baka maheart attack ako. Kaloka!