BEL says if you can’t afford your bill this month, they can put you on a payment plan

By Breaking Belize News Staff: Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) says customers who have been hit with unusually high electricity bills this month and simply cannot afford to pay them in full can contact the company to be placed on a payment plan.

That was among BEL’s responses on Monday as the utility and the Ministry of Public Utilities faced the media following days of widespread public outrage over the latest billing cycle, with Belizeans reporting increases of hundreds of dollars and, in some cases, bills that have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled.

The issue comes as Belizeans are already grappling with broader cost-of-living pressures, including high fuel prices and concerns over transportation costs. Last week, Prime Minister John Briceño acknowledged that he was concerned about the sharp increases, while local media documented widespread complaints from consumers.

During Monday’s press conference, BEL Executive Chairman Lynn Young was asked specifically what would happen to customers, including middle-income households, whose bills had jumped by $300 or $400 and who genuinely could not find the money to pay before the due date.

Young said BEL routinely makes payment arrangements with customers facing such circumstances.

“We do a lot of payment plans,” Young said, explaining that BEL can arrange for customers to pay an unusually high bill over several months.

Government officials, meanwhile, said Cabinet is discussing what additional relief may be possible, with Public Utilities Minister Michel Chebat acknowledging that the public is facing genuine difficulty paying electricity bills.

BEL, however, maintained that it has so far found no evidence of a systemic billing problem responsible for the widespread increases.

Instead, Young said the company believes the unusually hot weather has been the primary driver of higher consumption. He explained that air-conditioning units and refrigerators must work significantly harder to maintain the same temperature when outside temperatures rise, while pumps, computers, routers and other electrical equipment can also consume more energy in hotter conditions. BEL acknowledged that it has received a higher number of high-bill complaints than usual this year.

Young said his own electricity bill increased by about $500 and that, after reviewing it, he determined that increased consumption was responsible. BEL says it is investigating complaints individually and can install monitoring equipment at a customer’s home to determine where electricity is being consumed.

The company also acknowledged that the ongoing rollout of new electronic or “smart” meters has contributed to sharp increases in some individual cases.

According to Young, some old meters had previously been estimated because meter readers could not access them, while others may have been under-recording consumption. When those meters are replaced and BEL obtains an accurate final reading, customers can see what the company describes as a one-time “catch-up” in their bill.

BEL insists it has found no evidence that the smart meters themselves are systematically overcharging consumers. Young said the newer electronic meters are more accurate than older mechanical meters and acknowledged that aging mechanical meters could have been under-recording electricity use.

That explanation is likely to remain under scrutiny, particularly because BEL also revealed that old meters are generally not tested after being removed; instead, the final reading is recorded and the old meter is destroyed. BEL says every new meter is tested before installation and that it is open to independent testing or investigation of the new meters.

Importantly, the recently introduced Cost of Power Adjustment, or COPA, does not by itself explain the enormous increases being reported.

The PUC approved an additional 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for August. That translates to only $1.50 more for 100 kWh, $3 for 200 kWh and $4.50 for 300 kWh of consumption.

The PUC has also confirmed there was an earlier increase of approximately three cents per kilowatt-hour in December 2025, but the extraordinary increases being reported in the latest billing cycle have gone well beyond the impact of the new 1.5-cent COPA charge.

For consumers who remain convinced that something is wrong with their bill, the PUC says they must first make a formal complaint to BEL. If the matter is not resolved, customers can lodge a written complaint with the PUC and should provide their bills and supporting documentation so the regulator can conduct its own investigation.

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