Low power rate for May; DLPC warns of high consumption during dry season

The overall power rate of Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. (Davao Light) continues to decrease from P11.14 last April to P10.04 this May. This translates to a P211.76 difference from the previous billing of households whose average monthly electricity consumption is 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh).

The low rate is attributed to the decrease on power supply prices (1) from the Phil- ippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao which Davao Light took advantage of, and (2) from coal power suppliers where the company sources a part of its power requirement. Even with this decrease, the distribution utility cautions customers against high energy consumption brought about by the dry season.

The country marked the start of its warm and dry sea- son last March. In Davao City, a 42°C heat index was recorded on May 24, 2023 based from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA)’s latest heat index information. Accordingly, a heat index from 42°C to 51°C falls under the classification “danger” as it can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.