Up to 200% Higher; What’s Driving Belize’s Light Bill Surge?

Sticker shock at the meter and Belizeans are feeling the squeeze. Across the country, families are opening their electricity bills and doing a double take, with some reporting increases as high as two hundred percent. For many, it’s a financial hit they didn’t see coming. And it’s happening at the worst possible time. With fuel prices climbing and the overall cost of living already stretching household budgets, these rising energy costs are adding even more pressure. So, what’s behind the surge and how are everyday Belizeans coping? Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon hit the streets of Belize City to hear directly from those affected and take a closer look at what’s driving the increase. Here’s her report.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Are you doing a double take when you open your electricity bill? You’re not the only one. Across social media, Belizeans are sounding off, saying their latest bills are hitting harder than expected. Some report that their charges actually doubled between April and May, while others say they’re paying thirty to fifty dollars more than usual. So, what’s behind the sudden spike, and why now?

 

BEL Customer 1

“It’s gone up too much.”

 

Britney Gordon

“By like how much?”

 

BEL customer 1

“Too much.”

 

Back in January, Belize Electricity Limited’s rates increased to $0.4427 per kilowatt hour. This increase was requested to cover nearly one hundred and eight million dollars in past and projected energy supply costs for BEL.  However, one consumer shares that her bills have gotten higher ever since BEL implemented smart meters.

 

 

 

Britney Gordon

“Have you noticed your bill increase?”

 

BEL customer 2

“Yes ma’am.”

 

 

Britney Gordon

“By how much you’d say?”

 

BEL customer 2

“By like thirty dollars. Because ney change the meter.”

 

Four months after raising rates, BEL is asking to keep the average electricity price the same through July 2028. The company also wants the option to add up to $0.0152 per kilowatt-hour to cover short-term cost swings, but that increase hasn’t been approved or taken effect. We reached out to BEL for answers. Here’s what they told us.

 

 

 

 

“We would like to clarify that no new system has been implemented for the calculation of bills, outside of the rate increase that came into effect in January…. We understand the concerns being raised and will address them further in our formal response.”

 

One customer noted that his bill tripled when using the air conditioning at home and decided to limit usage to cut the costs.

 

 

BEL Customer 3

“We mi use the AC and it end up da three hundred and odd and we stop use the AC and we use the fan and it end up da eighty-five and so.”

 

 

 

 

Another customer said he hasn’t seen a big jump at home but expects households that depend on air conditioning to feel the impact the most.

 

BEL Customer 4

“I will tell you the truth I ever notice it because I just pay the bill, but I hear the same thing. That it has a substantive increase. But this is the heat season and the hot season so the price should come down because the people that use the AC, it’s not just for luxury, it’s a necessity.”

 

The jump in prices hits hard for many customers as fuel prices continue to rise.

 

BEL Customer 5

“How can the Belizean people live survive in an economy such as this? We won’t make it.”

 

 

 

 

 

One customer was stunned after her bill tripled, saying it didn’t make sense since she’s rarely home and hasn’t changed her energy use in months.

 

BEL Customer 6

“I went from sixty-two dollars and then when my bill came in last night, it went to two-thirty-seven.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And do you have anyone that stays at home working throughout the day?”

 

BEL Customer 6

“I’m out of my house from Monday to Saturday from five thirty to six thirty in the evening I Come back home.”

 

BEL once floated a plan to charge customers based on when they use electricity, with higher and lower rates throughout the day. But that system never got approval and it was never rolled out. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

As of now, BEL has not explained the reason for the bill increased customers have experienced.

 

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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