Frequently asked questions

Open access is the framework established by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) that lets qualifying Philippine businesses choose their own electricity supplier instead of being limited to their local distribution utility. It is administered by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) program. Open access changes only the supply component and billing. The physical delivery of electricity through your distribution utility's network continues unchanged.

Any business with an average monthly peak electricity demand of 100 kilowatts (kW) or more qualifies under the expanded threshold that takes effect in June 2026. This typically includes mid-sized manufacturers, food processors, commercial malls, schools, hotels, hospitals, BPO operations, cold storage facilities, and data centers. Businesses below 100 kW individually may still qualify through the Retail Aggregation Program by combining multiple sites within the same distribution utility area.

The 100kW threshold is the new minimum electricity demand level that qualifies a Philippine business to choose its own retail electricity supplier under RCOA. It takes effect on June 26, 2026, lowered from the previous 500kW threshold. The change makes approximately 12,000 additional businesses eligible to switch suppliers for the first time. Demand is measured as the average monthly peak in kilowatts and can be found on your distribution utility bill.

The Retail Aggregation Program lets multiple business sites within the same distribution utility franchise area combine their electricity demand to meet the 100kW RCOA threshold collectively. This is designed for franchise owners with multiple branches, retail chains, property managers overseeing several facilities, and businesses with sites that individually fall below 100kW but together exceed it. Each aggregated site is contracted under a single retail supply arrangement.

The standard switching timeline is approximately 90 days from the submission of your Letter of Intent (LOI) to your distribution utility. This window covers regulatory coordination, metering arrangements with the Retail Metering Service Provider, and the operational transition. Your retail electricity supplier manages the timeline and keeps you informed at each milestone. Your operations team does nothing during the transition itself.

No. Power supply continues uninterrupted throughout the switching process. The physical delivery of electricity over your distribution utility's network does not change at any point. What changes is the supply contract behind your bill and the metering arrangement that records your consumption. No downtime, no shutdowns, no operational disruption.

The primary documents are a Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted to your current distribution utility and a Retail Supply Contract (RSC) with your chosen retail electricity supplier. You will also typically provide recent electricity bills (the most recent three months), your SEC or DTI business registration, and a designated authorized signatory. Mabuhay Energy prepares the LOI and RSC for your review and walks you through every signature.

Yes. Open access is a choice, not a permanent commitment. Customers can return to their distribution utility at the end of their retail supply contract term, subject to the standard regulatory notice period. The same physical connection and delivery infrastructure remains in place. Switching back is administrative, not operational.

Mabuhay Energy combines three differentiators: a dedicated account manager for every customer (not a call center), itemized billing that shows exactly what you pay and why, and the Mabuhay Partner Portal with real-time consumption and cost visibility. The operating model is built for businesses that want someone managing the energy complexity, not a vendor handing them another opaque bill.

The Mabuhay Partner Portal is a web platform provided to every Mabuhay Energy customer that gives real-time visibility into electricity consumption, demand patterns, billing breakdowns, and contract documents. It surfaces consumption trends, peak demand events, cost drivers, and forecasts that traditional distribution utility billing never exposes. Custom-built in the Philippines specifically for Philippine electricity data, the portal is included with every supply agreement at no additional cost.

Yes. Mabuhay Energy operates as a fully licensed Retail Electricity Supplier (RES) under the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It is a registered Market Participant at the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) and a WESM Trading Participant at the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP). Mabuhay also holds ISO 9001:2015 certification for quality management and is a member of the Retail Electricity Suppliers Association (RESA) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

Mabuhay Energy offers several supply structures: fixed-rate arrangements for businesses prioritizing budget certainty, market-indexed arrangements for those that can benefit when wholesale prices drop, and time-of-use arrangements for operations that can shift load to off-peak hours. Each engagement starts with an assessment of your consumption profile. The goal is to match the supply structure to how your business actually uses electricity, not to push a single product.

Standard retail supply contracts run for one to three years, depending on the supply arrangement and the customer’s preferences. Shorter or longer terms can be negotiated where the consumption profile and risk allocation support it. Contract terms, renewal mechanics, and termination provisions are documented in the Retail Supply Contract and reviewed with you before signing. No surprises.

All charges are disclosed in the Retail Supply Contract and itemized monthly through the Partner Portal. Early termination provisions, if any, are explicit in the contract and reviewed during signing. Mabuhay Energy's commercial principle is that customers should always know what they pay and why. Opaque charges are incompatible with how the business operates.

Yes. Multi-site businesses are a core part of Mabuhay Energy’s customer base. Sites can be contracted individually if each exceeds 100kW, or aggregated under the Retail Aggregation Program if they collectively meet the threshold within the same distribution utility area. Reporting, billing, and account management are coordinated across all sites under a single relationship.

Yes. Mabuhay offers renewable-backed supply arrangements through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) eligible products. These options suit businesses with sustainability commitments, ESG reporting requirements, or stakeholder pressure to demonstrate clean energy procurement, without the operational burden of managing on-site renewable infrastructure.

Businesses below the 100kW threshold individually can still participate in open access through the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP) by combining sites within the same distribution utility area. If aggregation is not feasible, the business remains served by the local distribution utility under captive customer rates. The 100kW threshold may continue to lower in future regulatory phases. Open access eligibility is expanding over time.