Related videos:
A Cuban identified as Taniaglicet Hernandez Machado published an outraged complaint this week on Facebook against the Electric Company Branch Riviera, in Villa Clara, after receiving a bill of 3,673.80 Cuban pesos for June 2026, showing a recorded consumption of 794 kWh.
"I'm wondering if someone with a bit of shame could explain to me how this expense is possible with so many hours of blackouts," the woman wrote, clarifying that she does not have any private business that would justify such a level of consumption: "I don't have a small business, I don't sell even a coffee."
The publication, directed specifically to the Villa Clara Electric Company, also warned that it had experienced similar issues with the same branch in the past: "Once before they left me alone, and it seems like they're going to start again now."
The post sparked a flood of comments from Cubans across the country sharing identical experiences.
Users from the Riviera branch warned the author not to fall into the trap of paying while expecting a discount the following month: "That's normal at that branch. It's happened to me several times [...] They tell you to pay now and the payment next month will be much lower. Don't fall into that trap."
Another user from Santo Domingo, Villa Clara, revealed that the meter reader himself confessed that "the company increased the consumption for almost all consumers," up to three times more than the actual amount.
The invoices reported in the comments range from 350 to 18,000 pesos, in households that receive only one to four hours of electricity per day.
"I received 1,073 pesos and we have 60 hours of blackout and only one hour with electricity," reported a user from Cienfuegos. Another wrote: "Without power and they billed me 8,248 pesos, what a disaster." A third summarized the paradox with irony: "With rounds of 24 hours of blackout and two hours of light, the bill just keeps growing. The magic."
The outrage was widespread: "This has become a trend. You pay more with 20 hours of blackouts than for a whole day of electricity. The electric company or its employees are robbing us right in front of our eyes," wrote another internet user.
The case is not isolated. On June 2, Sisi Aguilera, a Cuban from Havana, reported bills of 20,000 and 16,000 pesos in two consecutive months without regular electricity service.
The background is a energy crisis that in June 2026 reached a deficit of 2,040 MW against a demand of 3,000 MW, with outages affecting 65-68% of the national electricity system and blackouts exceeding 20 hours a day in many areas.
In addition, there is the electricity rate effective from March 2024, which sets the price at 12.31 Cuban pesos per kilowatt-hour for the range of 701 to 1,000 kWh per month, a range that includes the consumption reported in the contested bill.
The Electric Company itself acknowledged in March 2026 that high bills may be due to reading errors or averages applied when access to the meter is not possible. However, this explanation does not satisfy a population that sees their bills rise while electricity is conspicuously absent.
"They provide four days of electricity in the month, charge you for the entire month, and then raise the prices. It doesn't make sense, just like everything else," concluded a user, summarizing the frustration of thousands of Cubans facing a service that charges more as it delivers less.
Filed under: