Doubled or Tripled Light Bills? Here’s What BEL Says
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) says inaccurate meter estimates and delays in bank payments have contributed to complaints from customers whose electricity bills have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled.
Sean Fuller, BEL General Manager of Finance and Business Support, said BEL relied on estimated meter readings for two or three months after issues affected its meter-reading service.
When actual readings were later obtained through the installation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters, some customers received higher bills as BEL accounted for previously unbilled consumption.
“If your average consumption was actually 100 kilowatt-hours, and our estimate for some reason was 80 kilowatt-hours for four months, that’s 80 kilowatts we did not bill you.”
Fuller also pointed to delays in payments made through some banks, which can cause customers to see amounts they have already paid listed as outstanding on their BEL accounts.
“The time it takes between when you actually pay your bill online and when it reaches your account can be two to three days, maybe even more sometimes.”
Fuller said this delay can cause customers who have already paid their previous bill to see that amount added to their new bill.
This means your bill may show both the previous month’s bill and the current month’s charges, making it look as though you owe twice as much, even if you have already made the earlier payment.