Regarding an article we published last year discussing the impact of rising electricity bills for high-consumption customers due to the government’s decision to subsidize the bills of lower-consumption clients (see the article at this link), the National Energy Commission (CNE) has updated its projections for energy prices, with experts estimating an average increase of about 16%. However, small businesses, industries, and households with consumption exceeding 500 kWh per month are expected to face the largest cost increases, ranging between 48% and 76%.
Considering that the fund will remain in effect until 2032, it is possible that energy prices for high-consumption clients will continue to rise. If these estimates are accurate, this could result in an annual increase of up to $480,000 for a household consuming 500 kWh per month and up to $3,300,000 annually for an average bakery. Considering such a significant increase, what can households and small businesses do?
One alternative is to promote solar energy generation among high-consumption clients, as the business case becomes increasingly attractive. For example, a household consuming 500 kWh per month that reduces its grid consumption by 50% could shorten the payback period on the initial investment to 3 years or achieve a 40% savings compared to a 30% savings with a financing program from specialized companies.
Although a 50% reduction in consumption among these high-consumption segments would impact the effectiveness of the fund in stabilizing energy prices, the government could focus its support policies not on those consuming less energy but on low-income households identified by the Social Household Registry.
Encouraging the adoption of solar energy among high-consumption consumers and channeling support toward the most vulnerable households would be a step toward the long-awaited energy transition and would make more effective use of resources for the benefit of all.