(The Philippine Star) | Updated June 18, 2017 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has come out with rules for power
distributors to shift to paperless billing.
The ERC issued a
resolution laying down “Rules on Electronic Billing and Communications for
Electricity Consumers” or e-Billing Rules, to streamline and enhance the
issuance and delivery of bills and communications to electricity consumers.
The new rules cover all
distribution utilities within their respective franchise areas and their
customers to use electronic bills or e-bills as an alternative to the existing
paper bills issued monthly to end-users.
Covering monthly
billing statements and consumer related correspondence, it also allows
customers to access the same via online portal, website or sent to the
end-users through e-mail, push messaging and/or other electronic forms.
The rules require
distribution utilities to shift to a more digital platform, as well as to cut
the lag time between the production and delivery of bills and correspondence
making these documents always up-to-date.
Essentially,
distribution utilities will be able to reduce administrative costs caused by
traditional billing methods, the ERC said.
However, the rules also
state that existing and new customers have the ultimate say whether they still
want to receive paper bills or shift to e-bills instead.
Meanwhile, distribution
utilities and their franchises are still required to send end-users
disconnection notices using the traditional mode of billing and sending
correspondence.
So far, the country’s
major power distributors are ready to comply with the new rules.
Manila Electric Co.,
the largest distribution utility, currently provides customers with the
e-Meralco bill service, company assistant vice president and spokesperson Joe
Zaldarriaga said.
“It is an easy
convenient and secure way for customers to see, view and also monitor
their monthly electric bills online. Customers can, if they wish to, sign up
for a web account to receive email notifications on their bill, to view current
and past bills and to also analyze their monthly consumption for the past 12
months,” he said.
On their websites,
Visayan Electric Co. and Davao Light and Power Co. gave customers the option to
shift to e-billing. VECO and Davao Light are the second and third largest
distribution companies in the country, respectively.
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