Víctor Parés, chair of the House of Representatives’ Government Committee, announced Tuesday, October 27, 2026, that he will summon Luma Energy, LLC, the private operator of Puerto Rico’s transmission and distribution grid, to a public hearing to explain sharp increases in bills received by customers with digital meters. Parés said his office has received reports for several days of steep bill hikes, including cases of citizens with photovoltaic systems consuming around 1,000 kilowatt-hours who received bills of $378, and a couple in a condominium who consumed 890 kilowatt-hours yet received a $300 bill, both with digital meters.
He argued the complaints are numerous, that the public deserves concrete and direct answers, and that reliable billing is basic to a modern, resilient and transparent energy system serving households and small and medium-sized businesses. According to Luma Energy data, more than 200,000 digital meters had been installed across the island by December 2025, with a target of 500,000 by the end of this year; an estimated 1.5 million meters will eventually be replaced.
FEMA allocated $779.3 million for the meter project. Parés rejected explanations tied to higher fuel market prices, noting the exaggerated increases appear among digital-meter customers compared with those who have analog meters, and vowed the House will press to uncover what is behind them.