EvoEnergi customers named retail aggregation champions

MANILA, Philippines —  The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has conferred the title of Retail Aggregation Champions to the first 10 customer groups of energy retailer EvoEnergi.

The award underscores the leadership of the pioneering companies in making energy choice more accessible by becoming the early adopters of its Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).

Aptly titled EVOLVE, the event celebrated the emergence of more deliberate, customer-driven energy strategies in the Philippine business sector.

Retail aggregation — a framework that allows businesses with mid-sized electricity demand to pool together and access large-user pricing — was introduced in regulation in 2024, but had seen limited adoption until now.

EvoEnergi, an affiliate of D&L Industries, is turning the model into a working reality by lowering barriers, simplifying contracts and offering businesses a practical alternative to traditional utilities.

“In just five months of operations, we’re now serving ten retail aggregated groups and eleven contestable customers,” EvoEnergi president Julian Jacob Lao said.

“That tells us the appetite is there — not just for better pricing, but for better partnerships,” Lao added.

The logic is straightforward: by aggregating demand, businesses unlock pricing and predictability once limited to industry giants. The impact, however, goes beyond cost. Customers say the program has allowed them to better forecast energy spending, plan for growth, as well as redirect savings toward operations, people and innovation.

“Electricity isn’t just a utility bill — it’s a strategic lever. Aggregation helps level the playing field for companies that are competing globally but remain cost-burdened locally,” D&L president and CEO Alvin Lao said.

Among those honored at the event were companies in packaging, logistics, food processing and industrial services.

LBL Properties, for example, cited clearer rate visibility and improved planning as immediate gains from joining the program.

Former ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta and Department of Energy OIC assistant director Madonna Naling spoke on how mechanisms like RAP are crucial to their goal of lowering the contestability threshold to 100 kilowatt — a move that would make thousands more businesses eligible for electricity choice.

“We didn’t need headlines when we passed the resolution last year,” Dimalanta said.

“What mattered was giving consumers—especially smaller ones — the power to choose. That’s what the Retail Aggregation Program is about. It gives clearer rules, stronger rights, and a real say in where your electricity comes from. This is our ambag — our way of building energy democracy, where more Filipinos can finally benefit from choice and competition,” Dimalanta said.