BL&P hike ‘too much of a burden’

Several Barbadians are expressing concern about the rising cost of electricity, saying any additional increase to their bills from this month will place further strain on already tight household budgets.

Their comments come as the Barbados Light & Power Company Limited has indicated that higher global oil prices are expected to push electricity bills up.

The company estimates that the change could result in an average $17 increase per month for households using about 250 kilowatt hours of electricity.

While the increase is linked to fluctuations in fuel prices, many residents say it comes at a time when they are already struggling to manage the cost of food, medical care and other essential expenses.

Difficult

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said the additional cost would be difficult to absorb given the many financial responsibilities she already faces.

“I have a heart problem and I cannot wait until I feel sick to go to the heart specialist. I already have an appointment coming up on March 23 and that alone is $250. That doesn’t include my medication or my health insurance and I also have to deal with my eyes,” she said.

“Everything is already expensive. You’re not getting any more money and you still have to manage with the same budget. Sometimes the money finishes before the month does. I just went to the supermarket and bought five oranges and it cost me $8.95.

So when you hear electricity going up again, you really have to wonder how people are going to manage.

“Think about people older than me who have to pay electricity bills. Some people already paying $80 or $95 for electricity and now it will go up again. You still have to pay because if you don’t they will cut the service so people will end up paying the bill and leaving other things back.”

Another Barbadian, Elma, also questioned the timing of the increase.

“I honestly don’t think that Light & Power should increase the bills right now because people don’t have the money. People are crying out because food prices gone up, clothing gone up and some people can hardly pay rent,” she said.

“If they had to raise it, they shouldn’t raise it too high, maybe a small increase like five dollars, but not something too big. People out here poor and struggling.”

Elma said she tries to pay what she can each month but refuses to allow the rising costs to cause undue stress.

“I don’t work and I just have to manage on what I get. Sometimes I go and pay some on the bill and then I pay some again later but I’m not going to kill myself stressing over it.”

For Leroy Francis, the proposed increase is difficult to accept when many workers have not received salary adjustments in years.

“I don’t mind a little increase, maybe five or six dollars but $17 is too much.

The salary stays the same place and some people salary haven’t moved for years.

My salary hasn’t moved for donkey years,” he noted.

“The only way to deal with it is to continue budgeting.

That means cutting down on the amount of things you buy.

If you used to buy four or five items, you might have to cut it down to three, so budgeting important now in these times but it’s hard on households.”

Self-employed Lindy said utility increases should always take into account the reality faced by ordinary citizens.

“I am speaking for the man on the street. When you keep raising electricity because of oil prices and other costs, you also have to think about the people paying the bills. The same people are working for the same money and their pay is not increasing,” he stressed. “I feel like electricity already went up from since December. We used to share the apartment with another tenant and now it’s just us living there, but the bill still around $130. So when you talk about increasing it again, you have to think about pensioners and poor people who already struggling to pay.”

Lindy added that although many Barbadians might complain initially, they often end up having little choice but to accept the increases.

‘No choice’ “People might quarrel about it at first, but eventually they still have to pay because they don’t have a choice. It’s the same thing that happened when bus fares went up.

People complained but they still had to pay in the end but the reality is that for a lot of people, especially those who are self-employed, things are already hard.”

Another woman, who also requested anonymity, said the increase would be particularly challenging for people living alone and managing on limited income.

“The electricity went up from last year and now they saying it going up again. My husband and my son passed away so I have nobody and I have to pay everything on my own,” she said.

“I only get about $650 and that can’t cover everything.

The water bill gone up too and things keep increasing.

I will just have to figure out what to do now. Maybe I will have to stop burning the lights in the house or something so I don’t have to pay so much money but this real hard on people.”

(TRY)

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