BEL Customers Say the Numbers Don’t Add Up

For many Belizeans, opening the latest electricity bill came with an unpleasant surprise. Customers took to social media today, sharing bills they say climbed sharply even though their power use remained largely the same. The complaints come as Belize Electricity Limited introduces its new Cost of Power Adjustment mechanism, which can increase electricity charges by up to one point five percent when the cost of purchasing power rises. But some customers believe that alone does not explain the spikes they are seeing. Demmy Williams is among those demanding a clear breakdown of what is driving her bill higher.

 

Demmy Williams, BEL Customer

“A lot of concerns and it’s not just my bill so I have two light bills. But what makes the one that I posted on Facebook interesting was the fact that  that apartment is empty. I have not been home since the first week of July.  And even when I was at home. It was very sparse and I live by myself. So it’s not like there’s a whole conglomerate of persons in that unit. But also, it’s the fact that the bill is exactly what the bill would normally be if I were to be home for an entire month. But I’m not home. So how long am I still paying eighty-four dollars? And I know people would say, oh, but you have things plugged in. I don’t have an industrial refrigerator. Because obviously I can’t plug out my fridge. Everything else is plugged out. The Wi-Fi is on because I have security cameras. But how much electricity are those really pulling? Eighty-four dollars worth of current? I don’t think so. And then on my other bill, my mom lives by herself.  So that’s one person in that house and a bill that averages anywhere between eighty to ninety dollars a month is now in excess of one hundred dollars. And I would be contributing to her let bill because I would go there from time to time, but she’s physically there by herself. No one else is using electricity but her. So how do we explain her increase?”

 

Williams acknowledges that the high temperatures may account for a slight increase but maintains that the bill is unusually high.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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