It was in June of 2001 when the government enacted a solution to address the energy industry’s long-standing problems on power outages, government debts, and skyrocketing electricity rates that burdened power consumers. The Department of Energy (DOE) implemented the Republic Act (RA) 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 to institute the much-needed industry reforms that do not only address existing problems, but also promote industry competition and level the playing field for investors by giving consumers the power of choice.
One such mandate of the EPIRA is the establishment of Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA), which empowers qualified customers — called “Contestable Customers” — to choose their own retail electricity suppliers.
RCOA, whose implementation began in June 2013, aims to promote greater competition and private sector participation in the industry by allowing power suppliers to directly transact with customers. Currently, contestable customers with an average peak demand of 500 kilowatts (kW) and above can participate in the program.
Over the years following the promulgation of RCOA, different retail electricity suppliers (RES) and local RES in the country have begun entering the power industry as part of the supply sector, resulting in contestable customers getting more supplier options and more competitive offers.
With customers’ interest at the heart of its operations and with the growing clamor outside the franchise area of the same quality service provided by its mother company, Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Vantage Energy, a licensed RES operating in Luzon and the Visayas, has become one of the top-of-mind suppliers of customers who are looking for cost-competitive power supply.
Vantage Energy takes a leaf from the experience and expertise of its parent company while leaving its own mark as a provider of advantageous and beneficial offers that ensure continuity of power service crucial to run any business or household.
Celebrating milestones on its fifth year
In the span of only five years, Vantage Energy has become one of the leading and fast-growing RES in the country, having been identified as the sixth largest in the competitive retail market in terms of share.
To date, Vantage Energy has so far supplied more than 815 Gigawatt hours (GWh) to its more than 150 customers from various industries including Retail, Manufacturing, Banking, Real Estate, Telecom, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, all over Luzon and Visayas. This is equivalent to powering over 363,000 households.
The company also takes pride in its capacity to render stable and reliable power supply and offer competitive energy products tailor-fitted to its customers’ consumption profile. Vantage Energy’s partners not only enjoy competitive rates but also gain access to One Meralco’s wide network of affiliates and services as value-adds such as load side fiber connectivity, and technical trainings among others. All these translate to Vantage Energy’s high customer renewal rate of 93%.
In celebration of its fifth year of operations, Vantage Energy will give recognition to its customers who have been with the company since the start of its operations in 2017. This historic milestone captures the growing trust and partnership Vantage Energy has with its partners as the company strives to shape better lives for the Filipinos.
Stable power, diverse sources, and innovative value-added services
With the power of choice at the core of RCOA’s implementation, Vantage Energy made sure that its competency and the quality of its services do not just meet industry standards but surpass them.
Through its balanced supply portfolio comprising of conventional and renewable sources, strategically located across the country, Vantage Energy guarantees its customers the availability of adequate supply and protection against price fluctuations and high replacement power changes due to outages from a single plant.
Vantage Energy has the capability to offer diverse choices from a wide array of energy sources to its customers, which helps and allows these end-users to find the right fit that suits their needs.
Furthermore, the company also enables its customers to reach its maximum growth potential with tailor-fitted pricing solutions that include flexible product terms, negotiable contract limits, and customized value-added service.
The company demonstrates transparency in its charges. Through this, customers know exactly where their money goes as they are provided a detailed breakdown of the power cost and a clear visibility on various price indicators or factors that affect their monthly bill.
Vantage Energy also collaborates with its affiliate companies and conducts premier technical training and energy education for its customers through various seminars, Executive Forum, Partner Forum, and teaching sessions, keeping customers abreast with the latest developments in the power industry. These initiatives enable Vantage Energy customers to effectively run their business thereby improving the efficiency and profitability of its operations.
As part of One Meralco, Vantage Energy has access to broader range of services such as payment collection, electric vehicles, energy education, power generation, engineering services, insurance, energy solutions, connectivity solutions, and solar energy, to its customers depending on what is needed. This is definitely one of the major advantages of choosing Vantage Energy.
Vantage Energy as a positive force in society
Beyond its commitment to deliver excellent service to its customers, Vantage Energy also takes part in community building through its various corporate social responsibility programs centered on education and environment stewardship.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, Vantage Energy conducted a Back-to-School Donation Drive to provide aid and support to schools greatly affected by the restrictions and series of lockdowns implemented by the government. Using the donations from its partner customers, Vantage Energy provided school supplies and personal protective equipment to help school beneficiaries adapt to the new and alternative modes of learning.
Apart from advocating for quality education in the country, Vantage Energy also helps in fighting off global warming through environment stewardship. The company takes part in CommuniTrees, an annual tree planting activity initiated by MPower and One Meralco Foundation (OMF) in 2015. Since the program’s launch, close to 10,000 saplings have already been planted. This initiative is aligned with One Meralco’s campaign to embed sustainability into the core of its operations.
Cognizant to the fact that its role in the country’s power industry does not end with simply providing stable and reliable power supply to Filipino consumers, Vantage Energy remains steadfast to its commitment to continue improving its services to further enhance consumer experience, and to advocate for sustainability through its various community building initiatives.