DAVAO Light’s overall residential electricity rate increased by P0.9080 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the power distribution utility announced Saturday.
The residential electricity rate increased to P10.0612 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to October’s rate of P9.1532/kW.
The rate applies to the November 11 to December 10 billing period.
In a statement, Davao Light attributed the rate increase mainly to higher generation and transmission charges.
“Generation costs rose because of increased power supply prices from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), while transmission charges increased due to adjustments made by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP),” it said.
NGCP, in an earlier statement, reported that the higher ancillary services rates raised the transmission rates due to the impact of higher oil prices.
Davao Light stressed that revisions to the Feed-In Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) and the Environmental Charge, through the order of the latest Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) guidelines, also contributed to the overall increase.
Last month, the ERC approved a new rate for the FIT-All for 2025. The Php0.2073 kW is effective in November 2025 electricity bills.
The FIT-All is a small charge on every electricity consumer’s bill, which pays FIT-eligible renewable energy (RE) producers for power from sources like wind, solar, and small hydro plants for their energy.
The system encourages more investment in clean energy, which is essential to stabilize the power supply, lessen dependence on imported energy sources, and protect the environment.
Davao Light urged consumers to practice energy efficiency to better manage electricity bills, especially as the holiday season is approaching, when consumption usually increases.
Davao Light recommended checking the estimated daily or monthly energy usage for each appliance by determining the appliance wattage, the average number of hours the household uses, the number of days the household uses the appliance in a month, and checking the rates.
To calculate the Kilowatt-Hours (kWh), the formula, (Wattage / 1000) x Hours Used x Days = Total kWh) to calculate the energy consumption for a single appliance. To estimate the cost, the total kWh should be multiplied by the rate.
