A Cuban identified as Sisi Aguilera posted a video on Facebook addressed to the Electric Company of Havana to report that she is being charged over 15,000 pesos monthly for electricity consecutively, despite the fact that her home does not have regular electrical service.
In the video, Aguilera recounts that last month he received a bill for 20,000 pesos and that this month the meter reader informed him that he would be billed around 16,000 pesos.
"Last month I received a bill for 20,000 pesos for electricity. And this month the meter reader came, a person who is obviously not to blame for anything, and says that my bill will be around 16,000 pesos. How long will the abuse against the people continue? If I don’t have electricity, how is it possible that I'm getting these prices?" the woman asked in the recording.
The affected individual did not hide her outrage: "How long will the disrespect towards Cubans continue? How long, when I never have electricity? Enough with the abuse."
The case is not isolated. In September 2025, a resident of Havana reported bills ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 pesos per month despite not consuming electricity, having spent months demanding answers without response.
In February 2025, a young woman in Manicaragua, Villa Clara, reported a high electricity bill despite receiving only one hour of electricity every 24 hours.
Likewise, in March 2026, the Electric Company itself acknowledged that high bills may be due to reading errors or to averages applied when it was not possible to read the meter.
The problem intensifies in the context of the worst energy crisis in recent Cuban history, with blackouts of up to 20 to 22 hours daily reported in Havana in May 2026.
Paradoxically, this situation coexists with the new electricity rate effective from March 1, 2024, which drastically increased prices for consumption exceeding 500 kWh/month, reaching up to 25.00 Cuban pesos per kilowatt-hour for the highest tiers.
The government claimed at the time that the increase would only affect 2.7% of consumers, but citizen reports point to a systemic problem that extends across the country.
The comments on Aguilera's video reflect widespread unease. "The thieves are definitely in the electric company," wrote Daisy Martín.
"You're paying for the electricity of those above you, plain and simple," pointed out Larry Ricardo. From Camagüey, Norelbis Fuente Barrero confirmed, "Here, it's the same audacity."
Other users pointed out that the problem could lie in the estimated readings during power outages. "They are estimating your readings during the blackout days," warned Dortys Pico.
Taymara García González summed up the collective sentiment: "This is how we all are, or at least the vast majority."
The issue of excessive billing in Cuba has documented origins dating back to at least 2018, but it has worsened with the energy crisis and the rate hikes in 2024. In at least one instance, in Manzanillo in 2021, the Electric Company refunded the money that had been improperly charged following a public complaint.
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