A hard blow to the pockets of families in the area will be generated starting next July 1, when electricity bills rise more than expected for residential customers.
The above, due to the increase in costs for electrical transmission charges. According to reports, the increase will be higher than anticipated after the approval of the Tariff Stabilization Law. In the Coquimbo Region, an increase is expected that could reach up to 45% in some areas.
WHY WILL THE VALUE GO UP?
In this regard, Humberto Verdejo, academic at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Usach, explains that electricity bills have three components: the price of energy, which represents 70% of the rate; the cost of transmission, which constitutes 10%; and the distribution cost, which corresponds to 20%.
The expert indicates that during the first semester of Law 21,667, rate increases are projected due to the normalization of the price of energy. In this way, users who today pay up to 45,000 pesos in the Coquimbo Region will see an increase of between 22% and 36%.
Meanwhile, those who pay between 45,000 and 65,000 pesos will see an increase of 45.11%, and those who pay more than 65,000 pesos will have an increase of approximately 37%.
“It is important to indicate that the variations are calculated based on the preliminary technical report of the average node price for the first half of 2024. The final report is still missing to adjust the final prices that will come into force as of July 1, 2024, as as established in Law 21,667,” said Verdejo.
ACCUMULATED DEBT
Juan Meriches, executive director of Empresas Eléctricas AG, states that what is happening with the electricity bill is the normalization of the rates defined by the authority. “It must be remembered that the accounts have been practically frozen since 2019, since the social outbreak and the pandemic, and what we will see in the coming months will be a gradual adjustment process,” explains Meriches.
The executive agrees that 70% of the value of the accounts corresponds to the price of the energy delivered by the electricity generating companies. “The debt that has been accumulating in recent years due to the freeze was recently addressed by the Tariff Stabilization Law, which will allow this gradual process. In parallel, other components of the account, such as transmission and distribution, will also have adjustments, although minor,” said the professional.
In this sense, he asserts that it is important for families to opt for energy efficiency measures to reduce their consumption and avoid a greater impact on their pockets. .
ACCOUNT SUBSIDIES
The Government indicated that the increase in electricity bills was inevitable, which is why the Rate Stabilization Law was strongly promoted. “This regulation had the transversal support of parliamentarians to prevent, from one day to the next, households having to pay duplicate amounts from one month to the next, and in six months. Today, for the first time, we have a subsidy so that the most popular sectors can pay their electricity bills,” said the Government Seremi, Paulina Mora.
The Executive indicated that within the Tariff Stabilization Law a fund is contemplated to provide a subsidy to more than 1.1 million families nationwide. “According to data, in our region there are around 210 thousand households belonging to 40% of the Social Registry of Households, who will be potential beneficiaries,” explained the regional spokesperson, adding that this aid will be eligible every six months and could fluctuate between $6,000 and $12,000. monthly to finance part of the electricity bill.
In this context, deputy Marco Antonio Sulantay, member of the Mining and Energy Commission of the Chamber, announced that they will summon the Minister of Energy, Diego Pardow, to explain if, before the discussion of the bill, he was aware that The real increases would be practically double what was reported.
“The situation is very worrying, since the adjustment in the accounts begins next month (July) and once again the most affected will be middle class users and SMEs,” said Sulantay.
HIT TO THE FAMILY BUDGET
Regarding the impact that these increases will have on families in the region, the economist and rector of the Santo Tomás institutions, Pablo Pinto, explained that the projected increases in costs related to energy and transmission charges in Coquimbo vary between 21% and 44%, depending on the level of consumption.
“Considering that a Chilean family spends $600,000 a year on their energy bill for cooking, heating and lighting spaces, among other uses, estimates indicate that their average monthly bill would rise to approximately $72,000, which annualized would give a figure close to the $864,000,” exemplified the UST rector.
Pinto adds that, on electricity alone, households would now spend 5.4% of their entire budget, which represents an increase of 1 percentage point that must be adjusted with other consumption. This is in addition to all the increases experienced in this category in recent years due to the sustained increase in the UF.
According to Orlando Robles, an academic at the ULS, this scenario will not only be reflected in electricity bills, but could also generate a domino effect in the prices of other essential goods and services.
“Families could be forced to adjust their consumption habits, limiting the use of appliances or looking for more efficient alternatives to save energy. Without a doubt, this scenario poses an additional challenge for the family budget, especially for those households with lower incomes, where spending on electricity represents a significant portion of their resources,” he commented.
Robles points out that this increase also represents a challenge for companies, since the increase in production costs can affect their profitability and competitiveness.
“Some businesses may be forced to pass costs on to consumers, which could lead to an increase in prices for goods and services. In this scenario, the search for more efficient energy alternatives becomes crucial to mitigate the negative effects on the productivity and profitability of companies,” he concluded.
