Parents' Guide on How to Save on Electricity: Cope with the Meralco Price Hike

With the recent rotating brownouts and the news that Meralco is increasing its generation charge by P0.93 per kilowatt hour (kWh), parents may be unhappy with the situation but the fact is: they still need to do what they can to cope. Summer would be the worst time to try to cut down the electricity bill given the unbearable heat expected (PAGASA predicts a high of 40 degrees in May). However, that’s just the situation that parents are faced with. Electricity bills are expected to jump by 30%. Below is a parent’s guide on how to save on electricity and cope with Meralco price hike.
 
1. Don’t use your air conditioner or try to maximize your use of it

-Use an air conditioner suited to the space that’s being cooled.

-Have the air filters cleaned. Make sure it’s efficiently running.

-Turn off your air conditioner immediately when no one is in the room. Better yet, turn it off two to three hours before you need to leave the room. If you have a timer, set it on automatic shut-off.Keep the temperature as high as you can set it. Your air conditioner uses more energy when it maintains a lower temperature.

-Use your refrigerator more efficiently.Use a refrigerator that’s right for your needs.

-Defrost your fridge when the ice is ¼ inch thick.

-Don’t put warm or hot food in the fridge.

-Defrost frozen foods in the fridge.

-Keep your fridge at least 4 inches away from the wall to make sure that you don’t overwork the motor.

-Don’t keep opening and closing the fridge door. Be efficient with the way you organize your fridge and remove stuff from the fridge in one go instead of multiple times.Use natural light whenever possible and make your light bulbs more energy efficient.

2. Turn off your lights when not in use.

-Make sure to check around the house. You might discover that you leave some lights running unnecessarily.

-Use energy efficient bulbs: CFLs or compact fluorescent lamps. They use 75% less energy than regular bulbs.

-Clean your bulbs to make the light more efficient.

-Use energy-efficient appliances and refrain from keeping them on 24/7.

-Check the information on your appliances. Change old appliances that are less energy efficient.

-Turn off and unplug unused TVs, lamps, computers and other appliances when not in use.Don’t use a water heaterTake cold showers. It’s hot, anyway.

3. Reduce your clothes ironing.

-Use fabric conditioner to minimize your need to iron your clothes.

-Iron your clothes in bulk and to make your energy use more efficient. 

More Information on Meralco
Visit Meralco’s home page for more Electricitips 

To know the wattage of each home appliance, check out Meralco’s table of home appliance energy usageMeralco also has a program called Time of Use rates (or off peak rates). If you’re a residential customer with a 12-month average of 1,000 Killowatt hour consumption, then you’re qualified to apply for this program.

If you want help in decoding your Meralco bill, click here

 
Going Green: Have an Eco Friendly Home
 
Lastly, similar tips on saving energy and helping mother nature are available in our four-part feature on going green, starting with your own household. Check out the first article, Baby Steps Parents Can

Take To Have an Eco Friendly Home

This parents’ guide on how to save on electricity and cope with the Meralco price hike is just a start. Identify other ways for you to save on energy. As we are beginning to see, it’s a scarce resource and one we can’t entirely control. Perhaps, as early as now, try to imagine creative ways to maximize our natural climate and reduce your energy consumption for the long term.


Sources:
ElectricityForum.comFitzVillafuerte.com