Belizeans are already paying more for food, transportation and other household essentials. Now, electricity bills are also going up. Belize Electricity Limited says a new adjustment approved by the Public Utilities Commission will help prevent even steeper increases later. But for families already stretching every dollar, even a limited increase can hurt. Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
“For many Belizean households, stretching a paycheck to the end of the month has become increasingly difficult. Between groceries, rent, fuel, school expenses and utility bills, consumers say there is little room left in their budgets for additional costs. Now, BEL says customers will see a new charge on their electricity bills beginning this month.”
BEL says it has been paying more for electricity than consumers have been charged. In fact, over the past six months, that difference grew to more than four cents per kilowatt-hour. The company will now recover some of that shortfall through the Cost of Power Adjustment approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
Lynn Young
Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, Belize Electricity Limited (File: July 22nd, 2026)
“The last year the company had some struggles trying to pay CFE, and there were times when CFE actually said: “Listen, if you don’t come up with money, we’re gonna have to disconnect you.”
However, under a newly established regulatory framework, the increase being passed on to consumers this month is capped at one-and-a-half cents per kilowatt hour. The company says the one and a half cents cap is meant to cushion customers from sudden spikes in electricity costs.
Dawn Sampson-Nunez
Dawn Sampson-Nunez, General Manager, Belize Electricity Limited (File: July 22nd, 2026)
“Any increase would be limited to no more than 1.5 cents. 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour in any given month. Of course, it can work the other way around where there is a decrease in the cost of power, meaning that we pay our power suppliers less than what the PUC approves for the cost of power. That saving will also be passed on to our customers.”
BEL and the PUC say the adjustment protects consumers from sharper increases. But many Belizeans may see it differently. Families are already paying more for food and other essentials, and any increase adds pressure to household budgets. Union Senator Glenfield Dennison raised that concern on Tuesday.
Glenfield Dennison
Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator
“So when you cant lower the prices of things we need as input, so your labor can feed you and your family, we will be in a bad place as a country you know you know. What we need is to ensure that we have a plan of action to address poverty.”
Economists say higher utility bills do not affect households alone. They can also push up the cost of goods and services. When businesses face higher operating expenses, some of those costs can eventually be passed on to consumers through the prices of goods and services. The increase may be small, but many consumers will see it as another blow amid the rising cost of living.
Dawn Sampson-Nunez
“So on your electricity bill when it is implemented, you will see a separate line item for COPA. GST will not apply to that. GST only remains on the baseline item for your electricity bill.”
Essentially, your new bill will include another line item, Cost of Power Adjustment, or COPA. If BEL buys power at a cheaper rate it will reflect as a deduction on the monthly bill. Similarly, the COPA will come as an increase to your monthly bill in other instances.
Lynn Young (File: July 22nd, 2026)
“The cost of power tends to be higher in the first six months of the year and then it tends to start falling as we get more hydro. And it gets cooler. Mexican prices, to a large extent, have been driving the cost of power. The second half of the year, as it gets cooler, their prices tend to go down. So, there is a high probability you will see more reductions than increases as we go through on a monthly basis.”
BEL says future adjustments could also mean rebates, not just increases. But with household budgets already under pressure, consumers will be watching closely to see what happens to their electricity bills. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
Watch the full newscast here:
