Everyone feels their electricity bills are 'highest in the world'- BVIEC GM
Mr Abraham was at the time speaking during a Facebook interview via an online media agency on September 3, 2022, alongside Deputy General Manager of BVIEC Symorne Penn, on the topic of electricity and its rising cost in the Virgin Islands.
Everyone thinks their electricity cost is highest - Mr Abraham
“Being the Chairman of CARELIC, I travel to other Caribbean jurisdictions for meetings and ultimately everyone always feels in that particular island that I go to, it’s just them,” he said.
CARELIC, short for the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation, is an association of electric energy solutions providers and other stakeholders operating in the electricity industry in the Caribbean region, Central and South Americas and globally.
“From the time I jump into a taxi, no matter where I go, one of the first things I talk about clandestinely is the electricity,” Mr Abraham said.
“…and the taxi drivers say oh!, we have the highest bill in the world and I laugh. All I’m saying in my mind, if you come to the BVI they would say the very same things too,” he added.
During the interview, Mr Abraham pointed out that on the regional front, the majority of electricity in the Caribbean is produced by fossil fuel and diesel, and ultimately with the rising cost of oil, that correlates to a rising cost of energy globally.
Adopting lifestyle changes
While pushing energy conservation to save on energy costs, Mr Abraham also urged people in the Virgin Islands to adopt certain lifestyle changes which will come through more awareness.
“It isn’t economic to iron your clothes every single day. You should choose one time per week and iron all of the clothes all at once for the week because ultimately anything that produces heat that requires electricity it consumes a lot of electricity.”
Mr Abraham also said the VI has signed on to a programme with CARELIC and other jurisdictions in the region to further educate consumers on being able to manage their energy usage.
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47 Responses to “Everyone feels their electricity bills are 'highest in the world'- BVIEC GM”
Welcome to BVI.
Sad to know even the GM doesn't understand electricity usage or the definition of lifestyle changes.. ah lifestyle change would be to encourage residents to install solar panels, to inform them that they can sell back to the grid and through a collective effort we can all lower the cost.
We have to do something. Because when the BVIEC post their huge profits and the year wnd, there will be trouble afoot i.m sure
We generally placed the blame on price hike, and other factors. Yes, others are partly deserved blame, but are we willing to cut back on our own habit of carelessly over use of electrical that caused our elecricity bills been so high? It doesn't seem to that we are.
Can't we by now recognised that the world is experiencing an energy crisis? For many of us, Government included, this careless practice continues daily, same does complaining.
People of the BVI wise up. Every Dollar counts.
Its sad that you think this way that we think its the highest in the world. The fact that we feel the pressures of the bills is because costs for the majority of things have increased. We get NO break on rent-that's high! NO break for food - that's high! What is not high though is our salaries to bear the strain of these costs. While some are fortunate to have high paying jobs, it sometimes takes the others to bring support to those who have these jobs and most often the salaries are very low. Let me ask you, who writes your letters, climb those poles, collect payments?? You need their support! Your salary might be able to bear the strain but you want to speak to others and hear what they have to say. I iron me and my children clothes once a week and plug out various appliance along with turning off lights. My bill is still high! So please do not compare us to anywhere else in the world. We are the BVI and we feel the pressures as they come. Just do something to help us. We live here. It is our home and we want better in order to survive.
You and I both. My family leaves home around eight to go to work and summer programs were not back until 6pm. The bill went from $90.00 -$100.00 to now over $200.00. Nothing new added . When I inquired all they would say is fuel cost increase. I don’t get it because electricity agreed to purchase fuel on a contract basis at a set price.
According what was released about this contract is the supplier agreed to sell at a set price and if my memory is correct that figure was $3.00 but no more that $5.00. This was allow for any increases.
How insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate. Mr. Abraham, no doubt, makes many times over what a waiter, construction worker or even a police constable makes. Persons in public office need to be mindful when speaking about these type of issues and also remember that their big salaries are paid with help from the contributions that the common man makes, every wek, every month.
No figures provided to support his assertions. His salary is high enough that it's not too much financial pain for him.
have more Sunshine than sand yet n still we burdendown with the cost of electricity.
We have sea water can't done yet n still we are batin outta bucket or not atall from lack of water , in violation of mandated Human Rights.
We can't breathe, the toxic air ,a gift of a dysfunctional garbage disposal
even when those people are on their vacation they monthly payment are secured, so certain social issues never affect some of them
IS THIS IS HOW THE GM WOULD APPEASE THE BVI POPULATION??
Please invest in another energy supply plant, this will offer a more suitable solution to this overpriced electricity plant.
Sometimes all they need is stiff competition.
This man full of Sh** !!!! You want to blame me for my usage when I took all the necessary steps to curb my bill. I went from cistern fulltime to street full time and my bill went from $120 to $109. My fridge is on a surge protector plug. All my lights are off I don't put on outside lights. So basically all I have running is a fridge, 2 fans, and a microwave. I don't have TV, I don't have washing machine. This man take us as dam fools.
Big man you full of "£%& put yourself in others position and then talk light bill alone is more than what some people make in two week don’t worry the all might is watching.
I can't get a proper explanation.
If they have a personal business or an investment on business in the BVi, they charge how much the want, bit if others change them even a reasonable fair price, take for example electrical cost that they don't like to them that company or person has robbed them.
Manage your electrical consumption wisely. Your electrical bill will be lower. (Common sense)
Leroy you sound just like a smart A ££"^&E.
And yours are the lowest in the BVI. No conscience human.
Many in his position are intolerant to cry of the sufferers and offer no solutions for the problem other than saying “we aren’t the only ones”. Just like the former premier would say “we are in this together” during lock down when govt employees stayed home on full salary while those in the private and hospitality industry suffered! No matter what a household does to reduce their CONSUMPTION, the fuel charge will still be higher. Make it make sense. Don’t belittle people. Why doesn’t BVIEC and Govt eat some of that fuel cost??? God don’t like ugly. let’s hope we don’t have to endure another situation where we ALL have to suffer before some of you hifalutin morons get it!
Mr Abraham you full of sh**, instead you come up with an solution to help the people you talking crap