By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Many Belizeans have been complaining about a jump in their electricity bills, and some have wondered whether the newly installed smart meters could be to blame. According to Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) Executive Chairman Lynn Young, the meters have nothing to do with it. Instead, he points to a familiar culprit, the heat.
Young explained that the surge in complaints lined up with the hottest stretch of the year. “May was the hottest period in the year and every year we looked at the numbers,” he said, noting that the company sees a spike in high-bill complaints during hot months. Because electricity use in Belize is driven so heavily by heat, he said, appliances have to work harder. “Your refrigerator is going to work harder, your fans are going to work harder, your AC units are going to work harder.”
He also pointed to how the General Sales Tax (GST) threshold can amplify the effect. Young explained that there is a $100 threshold for GST, so a customer whose bill normally sits around $95 could, with higher usage, jump above that mark. “So if your bill was normally $95 and then because of the heat it jumped to $105, so you get an extra $10 on your bill because of the higher usage. But then you jump the threshold now and you get a 12.5% GST on that whole $105, which adds to it.”
The chairman also cited estimated billing as another factor. When a meter reader cannot access a meter, he said, an estimated bill may be issued. If those estimates are based on cooler months and are followed by a hot month, the eventual real bill can hit hard by comparison.
On the central question of the smart meters, Young was firm. “I’m just saying that all we can do is look at the data. We’ve investigated every instance that was brought to us. And in no case have we found that it was as a result of these new meters,” he said. He added that the meters are tested and that BEL has the test results on file, expressing confidence that each customer with a high bill would have their own explanation.
The post Why are electricity bills rising? BEL points to the heat appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Many Belizeans have been complaining about a jump in their electricity bills, and some have wondered whether the newly installed smart meters could be to blame. According to Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) Executive Chairman Lynn Young, the meters have nothing to do with it. Instead, he points to a
The post Why are electricity bills rising? BEL points to the heat appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.