Your Meralco Bill Explained: Where Every Peso Goes 🥹
1. Generation - Cost of electricity you actually used
Example:
Kapag naka-aircon ka buong gabi, yung kuryenteng ginamit ng aircon mo. Simple lang,
Mas mataas usage = mas mataas charge.
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2. Transmission - cost of moving electricity from power plants to Meralco
Example:
Kuryente galing power plant (hal. sa Batangas) dumadaan sa high-voltage lines bago makarating sa city, ‘yan ang Transmission cost.
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3. System Loss - Lost electricity during delivery
Example:
Habang dumadaan ang kuryente sa linya, may energy na nawawala (init, leaks, illegal tapping).
Kahit di mo nagamit, may % kang share sa nawalang kuryente.
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4. Distribution (Meralco) - Delivery of electricity to your home
Example:
From poste sa street papunta sa metro mo, kasama maintenance ng wires at transformer, ‘yan ang Distribution.
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5. Senior Citizen - Subsidy adjustment
Example:
May discount ang senior citizens sa kuryente, at may very small share ang ibang users para suportahan ito.
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6. Government Taxes - VAT and other taxes
Example:
Kahit gaano ka ka-tipid sa kuryente, may dagdag pa ring tax sa total bill mo. Ano pa ba? Sus!
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7. Universal Charges - Support for national electricity programs
Example:
Tulong para magkaroon ng kuryente ang mga lugar na malalayong isla kahit hindi ka doon gumagamit ng kuryente.
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8. FIT-All (Renewable) - Support for renewable electricity
Example:
Bahagi ng binabayaran mo napupunta sa solar at wind energy para dumami ang malinis na kuryente.
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9. GEA-All (Renewable) - Additional renewable support
Example:
Parang dagdag pondo para sa bagong renewable power plants na magpo-produce din ng kuryente in the future.
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10. Lifeline - Subsidy for low-usage households
Well, government-mandated discounts ito for low-income households consuming 100 kWh or less monthly, often offering 20%–100% off total bill components. Aware naman kayo sa 4Ps di ba? So example 4Ps beneficiary consuming 40 kWh, who receives a 50% discount, potentially reducing a ~P400 bill to roughly ~P200
Soooo, ‘yung discount granted to lifeline customers is subsidized by other customers who consume more than 100 kWh. This appears as a small "Lifeline Subsidy" charge per kWh on the bills of non-qualified customers, which as of early 2026 was approximately P0.01 per kWh
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11. Other Charges - Miscellaneous electricity-related fees
Example:
Mga maliliit na adjustments sa metro, billing corrections, or service-related charges.
No, I did not leave the aircon running 24/7.
My Meralco bill came in at ₱9,791.78. So let me break it down because nobody else will.
Generation charge alone is ₱5,266.66. That’s 54% of my entire bill. Meralco’s actual cut? ₱1,730.98. And that number hasn’t moved since 2022. What keeps going up is everything sitting on top of it.
Here’s what’s actually eating your money:
System Loss — ₱486.83
You are paying for stolen electricity. Illegal connections, meter tampering, jumpers. Republic Act 7832 lets Meralco pass the cost of electricity theft straight to paying customers.
Universal Charges — ₱201.96
Part of this goes toward paying off the National Power Corporation’s debts. Old debts. From decisions made before most of us were even working.
Government Taxes — ₱989.81
The 12% VAT is not just on what you consumed. It’s stacked on top of every other charge, including the subsidies you’re already paying for. So yes, you are paying tax on stolen electricity. Tax on an old government debt. Tax on a subsidy you do not even benefit from.
FiT-All and GEA-All — ₱149.59 combined
Two separate renewable energy levies running at the same time. The second one was quietly added to bills in February 2026. Both government-mandated. Neither one is optional.
FYI..none of this is illegal. It’s all backed by law. But legal and fair are not the same thing.
The middle class does not steal electricity. We do not qualify for lifeline rates. We do not get 4Ps. We just pay full VAT, fund everyone else’s discounts, and absorb costs that should never have been ours to begin with. Every month. Without relief.
What actually needs to change:
1. Reform the generation charge. One line item cannot be more than half your bill and go unchallenged.
2. Stop passing system loss to consumers. Other countries make the utility absorb it. We should demand the same.
3. Move faster on renewables. Lower generation costs long-term. That transition is already overdue.
