WILLEMSTAD – Former PNP Member of Parliament and former Island Commissioner Humphrey Davelaar is calling on Algemeen Pensioenfonds Curaçao (APC) to develop a special financing program that would allow pensioners to install solar panels and battery systems at affordable rates, arguing that high electricity costs are increasingly eroding retirees’ purchasing power.
Davelaar says the continuing rise in Curaçao’s cost of living is placing growing pressure on pensioners, particularly because of the cost of electricity and water. According to him, pension adjustments alone are no longer sufficient to compensate many retirees for the increase in their household expenses.
He believes APC should therefore look beyond traditional pension increases and consider investments that can directly reduce the monthly expenses of its pensioners.
Davelaar proposes that the pension fund establish a program to finance solar panels and battery storage systems for retirees. By purchasing equipment and arranging installations on a large scale, he believes APC could potentially negotiate prices below those currently available to individual consumers on the local market.
The systems could then be offered to pensioners through favorable financing arrangements, with low interest rates and monthly payments adjusted to each participant’s financial capacity.
According to Davelaar, depending on electricity consumption, system capacity and installation conditions, solar energy could substantially reduce a pensioner’s monthly electricity expenses.
The resulting savings, he argues, would leave retirees with more disposable income for food, medication, medical care and other essential expenses.
Davelaar wants APC to view such a program as a direct investment in the welfare, financial independence and quality of life of its pensioners rather than simply as another financial product.
He also believes other pension funds should be invited to participate. According to the former politician, APC could use its financial expertise and resources to examine a socially responsible and sustainable financing structure that combines affordable interest rates with safeguards preventing pensioners from taking on obligations they cannot afford.
Under his proposal, lower-income pensioners would receive priority. The program should also include guarantees covering the quality of equipment, maintenance and after-sales service.
Davelaar specifically calls on APC to study large-scale procurement of solar equipment as a way of reducing costs and making the systems accessible to a broader group of retirees.
His proposal comes amid continuing public concern about Curaçao’s utility rates and the impact of living costs on households with limited or fixed incomes.
Davelaar argues that high water and electricity rates are contributing to the financial deterioration of many households. When families can no longer afford their basic needs, he said, the consequences can extend beyond household finances and contribute to social tensions, insecurity and a declining quality of life.
He concluded by referring to Aqualectra’s longstanding principle of providing affordable, reliable and accessible electricity to citizens, arguing that it is time to make that objective a reality for Curaçao’s pensioners as well.