Government fuel duty relief holds the rate at 14.226 cents per kWh, below the roughly 16.46 cents households would otherwise carry
The Regulatory Authority of Bermuda has set the Fuel Adjustment Rate on electricity bills at 14.226 cents per kWh, effective 1 July 2026. The previous rate was 13.784 cents per kWh.
For the average residential customer, the new rate adds about $2.17 to the monthly bill, an increase of about 1.00%.
The increase would have been far steeper without Government fuel duty relief. Without that relief, the Fuel Adjustment Rate would stand at roughly 16.46 cents per kWh. The relief holds about 2.19 cents per kWh off the fuel component that households would otherwise carry, and absorbs the larger part of the underlying cost increase.
The increase reflects higher international fuel prices over the past quarter, driven by volatility in global energy markets. The adjustment carries no change to BELCO’s base rates or regulated returns.
The Fuel Adjustment Rate passes the cost of fuel straight through to customers. It rises and falls with the actual cost of fuel, so bills follow what fuel costs at the time.
BELCO revised its filing after updated analysis captured a recent downward movement in global fuel prices. The revision lowered the proposed increase from about 5.97% to about 3.21%.
The Hon. Alexa N. H. Lightbourne, JP, MP, Minister of Home Affairs, said, “I know what a rising power bill means in a Bermudian home. Global fuel prices rose this quarter, and the Government chose to stand between that increase and the family bill because we want to protect Bermudians during times of global instability. A cost that would have reached 16.46 cents now sits at 14.226 cents, because the Government stepped in. We will keep this protection in place and keep watching every cent to help those we serve.”
