Between the heat and the electricity bill: the dilemma of Caribbean families who fear paying more for using energy

ExplainerHigh temperatures force families in the Caribbean region to use fans and air conditioners, while facing energy-saving measures. Fan sales have skyrocketed in downtown Barranquilla. Photo: Guillo González - KronosJOURNALIST24.10.2026 20:35 Updated: 24.10.2026 20:35 In the Colombian Caribbean, the heat begins long before the sun comes up. It seeps through the windows, builds up between the walls, and lingers well into the early morning hours. There are nights when sleeping is difficult, even with a fan running. But now, for thousands of families on the coast, fighting the high temperatures comes with an added worry: how much will the next electricity bill be? READ ALSO In some homes, light bulbs are turned off, the use of appliances is restricted, and families calculate how long a fan can stay on. Others seek relief under the trees or take advantage of the air conditioning in shopping malls. The question that keeps coming up among users is simple: how do you save energy when the heat forces you to use it?The concern grew with resolutions 101 120 and 101 126 of 2026 from the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (CREG), related to the national energy-saving program. According to user representatives, the provisions include higher charges for those who exceed their average reference consumption by more than 10%. The measure arrives amid warnings about the El Niño phenomenon, which threatens to reduce water availability for hydroelectric generation and increase pressure on the national power system. The fan that isn't enough and the fridge that gets turned offJorge López, a teacher in Barranquilla, knows the difficulties of working through a day of high temperatures. His classroom has 30 students and just one fan which, he says, is not enough."Having a refrigerator, a fan, or an air conditioner is not a luxury in these lands," he argues. The teacher says the heat affects his well-being and the conditions in which he teaches his classes. On some streets in downtown Barranquilla, air conditioners for sale are on display. Photo: Guillo González - Kronos"There are days when it climbs to 36 degrees. It's hard to work like that in a classroom with 30 students and only one fan that barely blows," he recounts. The situation is also felt in small family businesses, where electricity consumption is part of everyday expenses. María del Rosario runs a sewing workshop. During the day, she tries to turn off the lights she doesn't need and control how long the fans and the air conditioner run. Her bill, she says, never drops below 300,000 pesos."And now they have us scared that if we run the air or the fans longer, the bill will skyrocket," she says. READ ALSO To cut expenses, she has even made a decision that could compromise food preservation."I turn off the fridge at night. I can't afford to pay more than I can," she confesses. Her story shows how far some families will go to contain a bill that represents a significant portion of the household budget. More than 750,000 users under the threat of higher chargesNorman Alarcón Rodas, coordinator of the National League of Users on the Caribbean Coast, estimates that 758,000 users could be affected by the implementation of the measures. The heat wave hitting Barranquilla has driven up fan sales. Photo: Guillo González - KronosAccording to his estimates, 400,000 belong to the market served by Afinia, 258,000 to Air-e's, and another 100,000 to Energuavia's. Taken together, he argues, the consequences could affect more than three million people. These are projections from the users' organization, not an official tally of sanctions actually applied. Alarcón believes the measure ignores the climatic and economic conditions of the region, where the use of ventilation systems is a daily necessity. The controversy has another dimension: the financial difficulties of the companies responsible for supplying the service and the deterioration of the electrical grid.'It has been completely discriminatory'Barranquilla's personero (municipal ombudsman), Miguel Ángel Alzate, questions the fact that the program applies similar criteria to households located in regions with different climate conditions."We understand that in the face of an unprecedented El Niño phenomenon, the civic duty is to save energy, but what we don't agree with is that the Caribbean region is treated the same as the other regions of the country," he states. Miguel Ángel Alzate, personero of Barranquilla. Photo: Leoherrera - EL TIEMPOFor the official, temperature differences, social conditions, and the state of the electrical infrastructure should be considered when establishing the measures."In our view, it has been completely discriminatory against our region," he maintains. READ ALSO Alzate says the personeros of the Caribbean asked the CREG for differential treatment but received a negative response. He also questions the educational period established for users to learn their reference consumption levels and the consequences of exceeding the limits. According to him, the resolution's implementation began on the first of September, when many households had already practically consolidated their monthly consumption. The personero confirmed that two tutela (constitutional protection) actions related to the measure have been filed and that the personerías continue gathering information to study further legal actions. Air-e and Afinia, two companies in the midst of a financial crisisTo families' worries about the cost of energy is added the difficult financial situation of Air-e and Afinia, the two main electricity retailers in the Colombian Caribbean. Air-e, which remains under intervention by the Superintendence of Public Services, faces multimillion-dollar debts with generators and transmission companies, as well as collection problems and energy losses that compromise its operation. Ricardo Arango Restrepo, general manager of Afinia. Photo: Leoherrera - EL TIEMPOAccording to the National League of Users, these losses reach 34%, while collection stands at 73%. During the National Energy Balance Hearing, held in Barranquilla, its management warned that it urgently needs 800,000 million pesos to guarantee operations through December, amid a total debt of 6.3 trillion pesos. The crisis of both companies keeps alive a concern among users: that the financial difficulties of the system will end up being passed on to them through higher charges on their bills. A crisis that goes beyond the billsThe discussion reached the National Energy Balance Hearing this Thursday, held at the Plaza de la Paz in Barranquilla, at the initiative of the Senate's Fifth Committee. There, the governor of Atlántico, Eduardo Verano, warned about the consequences of a possible energy rationing. According to the estimates he presented, such a scenario could cause economic losses of 30.7 trillion pesos and put nearly 210,000 jobs at risk. Governor Eduardo Verano warned about the consequences of rationing. Photo: Carlos Capella - GobernaciónThe governor called for differentiated regulation for the Caribbean and for measures that would allow the retailers to be financially stabilized without passing their difficulties on to users. The Minister of Mines and Energy, María Noemí Arboleda, acknowledged that the problem transcends regional borders. READ ALSO "With the CREG, we are working on resolutions that will contribute to solving it and that have to do with investments, obviously," she said. The hearing ended with a commitment to build a national matrix of actions, responsible parties, and deadlines to address the energy crisis. While those decisions move forward, in coastal homes the problem remains immediate. María del Rosario will keep calculating how long she can run her fans. Jorge López will return to the classroom where a single fan tries to cool 30 students. And when night falls, the heat will remain trapped between the walls of thousands of homes, where turning on an appliance in order to sleep can become another economic worry. Follow all the news from Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or through our weekly newsletter. EL TIEMPO NEWSLETTERSSign up for our newsletters and receive news in your email based on your interests. Stay informed about what really matters to you. EL TIEMPO GOOGLE NEWSFollow us on GOOGLE NEWS. Always stay up to date with the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on Google News. EL TIEMPO WHATSAPPJoin El Tiempo's WhatsApp channel to stay up to date with the most relevant news as it happens. EL TIEMPO APPStay informed with the EL TIEMPO app. Receive the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on your device. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITIONReliable information for you. Subscribe to EL TIEMPO and access our journalistic content without limits.