The power outages affecting Isla de la Juventud have led to another consequence for electricity users, who will now have to read and report their digital meters on their own, as the Electric Company claims it cannot perform this task in person.
The measure was communicated this Saturday through a "Notice" from the UEB Commercial Services and distributed via the local Electric Company's Facebook profile.
The text requests that clients send the readings to the corresponding commercial office through the reading supervisor, by phone, WhatsApp, or in person.
The notice attributed the decision to the "current electric energy situation" of the municipality and concluded by expressing gratitude for the "understanding and cooperation" of the customers.
The entity did not explain how those who have difficulties interpreting the data from their digital meters should proceed.
The announcer and journalist from Radio Caribe Ramón Leyva Morales shared the note with irony on his Facebook profile, describing the new obligation as a "cederista task in the neighborhood."
He also warned that those who cannot read their meter will need to seek assistance from a worker at the Electric Union (UNE).
Leyva also noted that he is trying to pay for the service using the EnZona and Transfermóvil apps, but his rate has not appeared since last month.
Other users' comments questioned whether a difficulty attributed to the energy crisis would shift a task that was previously handled by the Electric Company onto the customers.
"You provide me with poor and almost nonexistent service, and on top of that, I have to do your job," wrote a resident. Another asked if the measure was due to the entity no longer having enough workers.
A neighbor drew attention to the usual reading dates. As she explained, the procedure typically takes place on the 22nd or 24th of each month, while the notice was published on October 3rd, without clarifying how the readings for the previous period should be calculated. "Poor this town, where our minds can no longer accommodate our worries; now they add one more," she wrote.
Critics also pointed to older adults who do not know how to operate a digital meter and the difficulties in obtaining the WhatsApp number of the reading supervisor.
A resident also stated that she has been waiting since September 9 for the repair of a meter that, as she recounted, was damaged when a tree fell on the power lines.
"What does the current and the schedule have to do with a human whose only job is to read a meter?" questioned another neighbor, in a reaction that reflects the discomfort generated by a measure that the Electric Company directly attributes to the municipality's energy situation.
The episode occurs during the worst energy crisis the territory has experienced. Isla de la Juventud was considered for years as Cuba's "energy showcase," but that status has progressively collapsed since mid-2025. In July of this year, residents reported only two hours of electricity per day.
On August 18, the company declared a virtually total blackout throughout the municipality, maintaining power only for the hospital and water pumping.
This is not the first time a Cuban electric company has shifted this responsibility to its users. In January of this year, the Holguín Electric Company published a guide for customers to learn how to read their meters, an initiative that was also met with widespread sarcasm on social media.
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