4 ways to save electricity this holiday season

Christmas and New Year may be about lighting up your home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save electricity anymore. Here are four ways to manage your energy use, even when you’ve decorated your house into a bright holiday wonderland:

1. Use a power board or strip for your Christmas lights. Doing so can supply power to all the lights you’ve installed at home—as well as other appliances—and allow you to conveniently turn them off simultaneously with just one switch.
2. Turn off and unplug your Christmas lights when they’re not in use. This can help you avoid “phantom load” or getting charged even when your lights are turned off. Do the same with other appliances you have at home.
3. When cooking, use an induction cooker. The holidays mean cooking a feast for your family and several other guests. To save on energy, make meals with an induction cooker—it’s a more efficient and safer way of cooking food.
4. Keep your air conditioner at mid-setting. If the December breeze is not cool enough for you, use your air conditioner at home at 25 degrees Celsius for maximum efficiency.

Saving electricity is easier this holiday season with these simple tips and with Meralco’s decrease in electricity rates. Households can expect a P0.3785/kWh cut in electricity rates this December 2017. This means, a household consuming 200kWh will see a P76 reduction in its total bill.

The power distributor says the rate cut is mainly due to a P0.3035 per kWh decrease in generation charge—which was brought about by the local currency’s appreciation against the US dollar and lower Wholesale Electricity Spot Market charges. Other charges such as transmission charge of residential customers and taxes also decreased, paving the way for lower bills this month.

For more helpful tips about saving electricity, visit www.meralco.com.ph or Meralco’s social media accounts, www.facebook.com/meralco and www.twitter.com/meralco.