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Meralco · Residential

Official rates Updated 2026-09-06

What Meralco actually costs per kWh

Meralco's overall residential rate is about ₱14.78 per kWh for August 2026. That's an all-in average across generation, transmission, system loss, distribution, taxes and universal charges — and unlike most utilities it climbs as you use more, because Meralco's distribution charge is tiered on whole consumption: the bracket you land in re-rates every kWh, not just the excess.
₱14.78all-in / kWh at 200 kWh 0.29% vs July 2026

August 2026 billing · 30-day period · 0.50% local franchise tax assumed

100 kWh

₱1,490.35

₱14.90/kWh

200 kWh

₱2,956.65

₱14.78/kWh

300 kWh

₱4,527.75

₱15.09/kWh

400 kWh

₱6,160.79

₱15.40/kWh

500 kWh

₱7,982.09

₱15.96/kWh

Independent tool. Not affiliated with Meralco.

At every usage level

All-in rate this month

What a residential bill comes to at each level, computed with August 2026 rates and compared against July 2026. Assumes a 30-day billing period and a 0.50% local franchise tax; your city may set a different one.

ConsumptionTotal billAll-in per kWhvs July 2026
100 kWh₱1,490.35₱14.90−0.29%
200 kWh₱2,956.65₱14.78−0.29%
300 kWh₱4,527.75₱15.09−0.28%
400 kWh₱6,160.79₱15.40−0.28%
500 kWh₱7,982.09₱15.96−0.27%

The rate rises with consumption rather than falling, because the distribution charge is tiered on whole consumption: the bracket you land in re-rates every kWh, not just the excess. Crossing from 400 to 401 kWh moves the entire bill up a bracket.

Month over month

What changed since July 2026

Generation, transmission and system loss are pass-through costs — Meralco collects them on behalf of power producers and the grid operator, and they move every month with fuel and market prices.

ChargeJuly 2026August 2026Change
Transmission Charge(PhP/kWh)₱1.2786₱0.51250.7661
FiT-All (Renewable)₱0.2011₱0.3359+0.1348
System Loss Charge (PhP/kWh)₱0.8751₱0.9218+0.0467
Generation Charge (PhP/kWh)₱9.2504₱9.2800+0.0296
Senior Citizen Subsidy Adj (PhP/kWh)₱0.0001₱-0.00050.0006
RPT Charge (PhP/kWh)₱0.0065₱0.0067+0.0002

Meralco's own charge

Distribution charge, by consumption bracket

Meralco's own charge for the poles, wires and meter. This is the component that makes a single “rate per kWh” impossible to quote: the bracket your total consumption lands in sets the rate for all of your kWh.

Monthly consumptionRate applied to every kWh
1–200 kWh₱0.9803/kWh
201–300 kWh₱1.2908/kWh
301–400 kWh₱1.5837/kWh
Over 400 kWh₱2.0941/kWh

Taxes

VAT is charged per component, not as a flat 12%

Each part of the bill carries its own effective VAT rate, and those rates move monthly. Universal charges, FiT-All, the lifeline subsidy, real property tax, franchise tax and the energy tax carry no VAT at all.

ComponentAugust 2026vs July 2026
Distribution (Meralco)12.00%no change
Senior Citizen12.00%no change
Transmission11.99%+1.70
System Loss10.60%+0.52
Generation10.59%+0.54
Ancillary Service10.09%
Every per-kWh charge, in fullAll 24 line items, with month-over-month deltas.Show full breakdown ▾
ChargeAugust 2026vs July 2026
Generation Charge (PhP/kWh)₱9.2800+0.0296
Power Act Reduction₱0.0000no change
Transmission Charge(PhP/kWh)₱0.51250.7661
Ancillary Service Charge (PhP/kWh)₱1.0685
System Loss Charge (PhP/kWh)₱0.9218+0.0467
Metering Charge per kWh₱0.3350no change
Supply Charge per kWh₱0.4979no change
AWAT(Refund)/Collect 1 (PhP/kWh)₱-0.4278no change
AWAT(Refund)/Collect 2 (PhP/kWh)₱-0.5861
Regulatory Reset Fee Adj₱-0.0023no change
Senior Citizen Subsidy Adj (PhP/kWh)₱-0.00050.0006
RPT Charge (PhP/kWh)₱0.0067+0.0002
RPT Adj (PhP/kWh)₱0.0015
LFT Adj (PhP/kWh)₱-0.0002
Missionary Elec for NPC-SPUG₱0.2662no change
Missionary Elec for REDCI₱0.0101no change
Environmental Fund₱0.0025no change
NPC Stranded Contract Costs₱0.0000no change
NPC Stranded Debts₱0.0428no change
DU Stranded Contract Costs₱0.0000no change
Equalization Taxes & Royalties₱0.0000no change
FiT-All (Renewable)₱0.3359+0.1348
GEA-All (Renewable)₱0.0000no change
Lifeline Subsidy Rate (PhP/kWh)₱0.0100no change

Every month, regardless of usage

Fixed monthly charges

Owed whatever your consumption, which is why a very low-usage month still carries a bill.

ChargeAugust 2026vs July 2026
Fixed Metering Charge (PhP/mo)5.00/monthno change
Fixed Supply Charge (PhP/mo)16.38/monthno change

The marginal one

Energy tax (Batas Pambansa 36)

Unlike the distribution charge, this one is marginal: only the kWh falling inside each band are charged that band's rate. Below the first threshold it does not appear on the bill at all.

Consumption bandRate on kWh in that band
1–650 kWhNo charge
651–1000 kWh₱0.10/kWh
1001–1500 kWh₱0.20/kWh
Over 1500 kWh₱0.35/kWh

These are the rates. What's your bill?

Put your own consumption through the calculator and see where every peso goes.

Open the Meralco calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the Meralco rate per kWh for August 2026?

There is no single rate. A residential bill is a set of separate charges: generation at ₱9.2800/kWh, transmission at ₱0.5125/kWh, system loss at ₱0.9218/kWh, plus a distribution charge that changes with how much you use, subsidies, universal charges and taxes. All in, a 200 kWh household pays about ₱14.78 per kWh this month.

Why is the all-in rate higher than the generation charge?

Generation is the biggest single component but not the whole bill. Transmission, system loss, Meralco's distribution charge, government-mandated universal charges, the FiT-All renewable subsidy, VAT and local franchise tax are added on top. The all-in effective rate is the total divided by your consumption.

Why does my rate per kWh differ from my neighbour's?

The distribution charge is tiered by consumption, and the tier that applies re-rates all of your kWh, not just the excess. Fixed monthly charges also spread over fewer kWh in a low-usage month, which raises the average. Local franchise tax is set by your city, so it varies too.

How often do Meralco rates change?

Every month. Generation, transmission and system loss are pass-through costs that move with fuel and market prices, and the effective VAT rate on each component moves with them. These figures are for August 2026 billing and were last updated 2026-09-06.

Source: Meralco's published rate schedules. Figures are for August 2026 billing and were last updated 2026-09-06. Rates change monthly.

See our methodology for how each charge is computed and the real bills we check against. MyPinoyTools is not affiliated with Meralco.