Brackett Takes on B.E.L. Over High Electricity Rates
For months, there have been complaints about sudden increases in electivity bills. The utility company has sought to put to rest those concerns but they keep propping up. Today, activist Giovanni Brackett says that he has been monitoring his light bills and they continue on an upward trend. He has now started an online survey asking consumers to weigh in so that the data can be analyzed for further action. Here is News Five’s Isani Cayetano with a report.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Belize Electricity Limited, following an initial countrywide lockdown in April, came under fire from customers who claimed that their bills had spiked during the state of emergency. The assertion at the time was that the company was simply averaging the monthly consumption, in the absence of employees visiting their homes to take the meter readings. B.E.L. refuted those claims and even had a media walkthrough to explain how meters are read and figures are calculated. The company is once again being challenged, this time by activist Giovanni Brackett who is also alleging that his monthly bill has been jacked up.
Giovanni Brackett
Giovanni Brackett, Activist
“Just about two months ago, I made a post on Facebook highlighting that I was very upset about my billing rate and I practically made what some might feel was a baseless threat to B.E.L., that they have one more month to mess with my bill. But what I really meant was that, you know, I was really upset and that I want to do something and I will do something about it. However, due to some circumstances I wasn’t able to really deal with the particular issue, but over the last three months the three Facebook posts that I made received tremendous support from people who were stating that they felt exactly the same way and worse about their billing.”
In an interview conducted with B.E.L.’s Service Delivery Supervisor Sherman Ferguson back in July, he told the media that the process of billing is rather straightforward.
Sherman Ferguson
Sherman Ferguson, Service Delivery Supervisor, B.E.L.
“Our billing process is very transparent. The equipment used to measure our customers consumption is actually at occasions. So they had access to verifying these readings. A customer’s consumption is based on the difference from one of the reading taken from one day from what the reading was on a specific day. So that’s how consumption is monitored. Of course, like you mentioned, we have received customer concerns regarding and increase in their consumption over the past few months, so the conversation, of course, is welcomed. B.E.L. has monitored consumption patterns over the years; we’ve been receiving questions, concerns about the consumption from customers throughout the entire year.”
Indeed, since posting his electricity woes, Brackett has received numerous feedback from others who have similar gripes with their monthly bills. According to Brackett, late last year he had replaced all his light bulbs and electrical appliances with energy efficient alternatives.
Giovanni Brackett
“Since the last two months to now our bill has actually doubled and so we’ve seen it go from something like seventy-odd dollars to one [hundred] and twenty-two [dollars] to one [hundred] and seventy which is really ridiculous because it’s just my dad and myself. We don’t have any extra appliances other than the basic appliances because I am a guy that’s always on the road because of my journalism. Out of that I have decided to take it upon myself this weekend to create a Facebook page that I am calling, the title is B.E.L. Awareness, but underscored there is highlighting a campaign called End the Pain Campaign, Rates, Rights and Energy. Looking at the B.E.L. rates and on there will be a survey that we’ll have four questions.”
Those four questions are: whether you’ve seen an increase in your electricity bill in the last three months, in which district is your residence located, by how much has your bill increased and finally, how long did you notice the increase in your electricity bill?
Giovanni Brackett
“We have a person who has Ph. D. in economics who is going to be looking at that data and we’re going to have a two hour streaming show on Plus TV and on the Breaking News Belize platform and we are going to release those data, look at further comments and give people time to call in to ventilate but also not just to ventilate just by bashing B.E.L., but looking at where we could take this class action into something that is more direct or more concrete.”
Back in July, P.U.C. Chairman John Avery also weighed in on the matter.
John Avery
John Avery, Chairman, Public Utilities Commission
“Your meter reading is the legally recognized way of determining your consumption. If B.E.L. sends you an average bill and your meter reading is higher than what that average would produce then you would owe B.E.L. If your meter reading is lower than what that average would produce then BEL would owe you. All of these things would be reconciled over time.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
