Households get leeway in electricity schemes

Amid persistently high electricity costs nationwide, leaders of the House of Representatives are pushing to ease restrictions on households that generate their own power using solar panels.

Under the proposed “Sariling Kuryente Act,” Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos seek to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) to distinguish electricity generated for personal consumption from power produced for commercial sale.

Marcos stressed that the distinction is crucial because electricity generated for sale is subject to stricter regulations under existing laws.

“The measure seeks to remove regulatory barriers that may discourage ordinary households from producing electricity for their own use."

If a single family or a business and store can make their own electricity, the government should clear the path instead of treating them like a commercial power producer,” the solon said.

Under the proposed measure, systems that operate through behind-the-meter generation would no longer be required to obtain a certificate of compliance and an authorization from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Electric meter bypass

Behind-the-meter systems are electricity generation on the consumer’s end and bypass the electric meter installed by power distributors.

Notably, any systems and equipment used for solar power systems must be certified under the standards of the ERC.

Solar distribution companies are likewise prevented from charging additional costs for installing household networks, while any household associations are ordered to prevent any prohibition on families planning to install solar panels.

To ensure that all Filipinos are afforded equal opportunity to install their own systems, the Department of Energy was urged to promote the installation of behind-the-meter systems and to guarantee access to reliable equipment.

“This bill protects consumers from needless delays without compromising safety…the message is clear: families should be free to invest in their own power supply under fair and uniform rules,” Marcos said.

Based on a recent survey from Pulse Asia, 93 percent of Filipinos are considering a switch to solar power as electrical demand has driven costs to increase in recent months.

Aside from the bill to expand access to solar power, House leaders also filed a measure, similar to other lawmakers, to remove the system’s loss charge from electricity.

Marcos and Dy echoed the call that consumers should not shoulder any costs that would arise from factors that they do not directly control, such as electricity theft and system issues.