News report: Chamber working with BPL, Min. of Energy on cost of electricity

Published by Youri Kemp, The Nassau Guardian, July 04, 2025

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Dr. Leo Rolle, executive director of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation (BCCEC), told Guardian Business yesterday that the Chamber has been working with the Ministry of Energy and Transport (MET) and Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) to help businesses soften the impact of rising electricity rates.

“We have seen the public discourse and fielded calls from our members concerning the fuel surcharge increases, and lack of standardized usage periods that have resulted in an increase in electricity bills. Undoubtedly, any costs that detract from the bottom line of a business would have a negative impact on its operations,” said Rolle.

He continued: “We have enjoyed excellent working relations with the MET, and have already reached out to see where there are opportunities for relief for our members, and by extension the wider business community. At present, they have agreed to free energy audits for select Chamber businesses. We will provide them the names. Beyond that, I know there is the rate reduction program forthcoming, but no other substantive measures agreed to just yet.”

Rolle said about the energy audits: “This is important because it exposes those areas of wastage while recommending cost-saving mechanisms. We have not waited on the government to make these available, but worked with private organizations to provide discounted audits for members. We renew the call for the government to provide those measures to buffer the blow to the business community, especially for those smaller companies that may not have the cash flow to afford to do it on their own.

“Additionally, we call on BPL to standardize its usage periods to reflect 365/12, rather than the fluctuating variations we have noticed.”

The phrase 365/12 in the context of BPL usage periods refers to the desire for a standardized billing cycle of 365 days divided by 12 months, resulting in approximately 30.4 days per billing cycle. This is in contrast to the current, sometimes fluctuating, billing periods which can vary from 28 to 34 days or more, leading to confusion and potentially higher bills for consumers.

Rolle continued: “Beyond this, we have encouraged our members to seek energy efficient appliances, enact energy conservation practices, and rely on renewable energy measures where possible. Additionally, we have made available on our website and YouTube channel, energy conservation tip videos for our members and the wider business community.

“We remain committed to working with the ministry, BPL, the business community and consumers to discover avenues for cost-savings, including but not limited to energy.”

Read the report here >>> https://www.thenassauguardian.com/business/chamber-working-with-bpl-min-of-energy-on-cost-of-electricity/article_d19ea374-e744-4b9a-b0f8-1237e5a0e25c.html