BENECO Urges Energy Conservation Amid Expected Power Rate Hike

By: Laarni S. Ilagan

The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) is urging consumers to practice energy conservation as early as now amid an expected increase in electricity rates driven by global fuel market instability.

Olive Bete, Department Manager of BENECO’s Corporate Planning Department (CPD), said rising global fuel prices—caused by ongoing tensions in the Middle East—are expected to significantly affect the generation charge, a major component of electricity bills.

This March, BENECO residential consumers will experience a slight rate increase of P0.0387 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), bringing the rate to P8.1702/kWh this month from February’s P8.1315/kWh.

The increase will affect most BENECO end-users, including commercial (low voltage), industrial, and public buildings. However, commercial high-voltage consumers will see a decrease of P0.1025 compared to February.

“This is bad news, but we have to brace ourselves. This is now the reality,” Bete said, noting that higher fuel costs directly affect power generation companies, which then pass these costs on to distribution utilities like BENECO.

She added that while the March increase may remain minimal and manageable due to lower February power costs, consumers may feel a bigger impact by April, when higher generation costs begin to reflect in monthly bills.

The situation may worsen during the summer season, when electricity demand rises due to increased use of cooling appliances, while supply from hydropower plants declines. This imbalance can push generation costs even higher.

Given these challenges, BENECO emphasized that energy conservation is the most immediate and practical way to reduce the impact of rising electricity prices.

Simple actions such as turning off unused appliances, using energy-efficient devices, and limiting air conditioner use can help lower consumption.

BENECO also clarified that it has no control over the generation charge, as it only collects payments on behalf of power suppliers.

As uncertainties in the global energy market continue, the cooperative calls on all consumers to adopt responsible energy use to help manage costs in the following months. #