Lighting
1. Consider task lighting at home instead of using ambient lighting. Place floor lamps or table lamps in a corner, as light will reflect from the wall surfaces, increasing the luminance in the area.
2. Use LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. Don’t forget to clean them too. Dirty light bulbs and fixtures reduce light by over 10%.
3. Encourage kids and even adults to turn off lights when not in use. Your P13.00 monthly savings per bulb can go a long way.
Decor
4. Limit the number of your decorations to the size of your home. A house tends to get humid when there’s too much stuff occupying your home, increasing your air-conditioner and electric fan use.
5. If you have kids at home, avoid using Christmas decor that requires electricity for safety purposes, like Christmas lights. If it’s unavoidable, teach your kids to not play with the lights.
6. Make sure that you only buy Christmas decor that requires electricity with the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker on the packaging or on the item itself. The sticker ensures that the items are original and had passed government inspection and test requirements.
7. Your living room space should at least be in light colors. A room in lighter shade will allow your Christmas decor to stand out and reduce the feeling of humidity in a room.
Cooling/Heat
8. Open windows to let the breeze cool your home. You can put up a window screen to prevent unwanted insects from entering your home.
9. Use your air conditioner in its lowest setting and open your fan to let the cool air circulate in your room. iMoney said that by using a timer to turn the air-conditioner off at least an hour before your wake-up call can save a home owner up to 30 hours worth of electricity per month.
Appliances
10. Unplug all appliances when not in use. According to Meralco, appliances on standby mode or are not unplugged, like computers and television sets, still consume electricity. Use a power strip to manage your appliances’ use of electricity.
11. Issue a “low-battery” rule when charging mobile gadgets. This means that charging of smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and other mobile gadgets should only be done if they are at low battery.
Preparing Your Christmas Party/Reunion Feast
12. Plan time to thaw frozen food instead of thawing them using the microwave. Reduce the number of dishes that require too much use of your oven, like roasted food and pastries.
13. Use an electric stove to cook dishes faster. Induction stoves save as high as P645 per month, as compared to a gas stove at P1,109 a month.
14. Use ventilation fans wisely. Ventilation fans can suck out all of the air volume in one room in just about an hour.
15. If you need to refrigerate food, let them cool first before putting them in the refrigerator. Cover liquids and wrap foods. Hot or uncovered food create excessive moisture, which makes your refrigerator’s compressor work harder.
16. Do not overload refrigerators and freezers with food. Since it’s the time of giving, invite guests to pack food as takeaway.
17. Ensure your refrigerator door is sealed tightly after each use. You can use a refrigerator door lock if your child likes to open the refrigerator door. It takes three minutes of energy use to cool the refrigerator back to its set temperature for every minute the door is opened.
18. Clean appliances after use. Defrost your freezer on a regular basis. Clean appliances mean they require less power to function.
Going Out
19. Prep your party wardrobe ahead if you know your holiday party schedule. This way, you can avoid putting your washing machine and dryer into overtime if you need to have an outfit washed the night before.
20. As a rule of thumb, only iron clothes that are not made of wrinkle-resistant fabric like silk and polyester. Use fabric softener to soften your clothes to reduce the amount of time spent on ironing.
Entertaining Holiday Guests
21. If you are expecting certain guests at your home, set aside or anticipate a budget for the energy usage your guests will consume, especially those who plan to stay overnight or for a few days.
22. Impose house rules for those who will stay at least overnight. Although Filipinos have the habit to dote on their house guests too much, imposing house rules will keep your house in order and stay under budget.
23. Plan outdoor activities instead of having a Christmas movie marathon at home. Most residential properties have common facilities that you can use to entertain guests like swimming pools, basketball courts, and function rooms equipped with karaoke machines. You can also challenge the guests to do a Christmas crawl with the family in Metro Manila. This way, you can reduce your television usage and experience more quality time with your family.
Any Meralco bill-saving tips for this holiday season that you’d like to share with us? Post them as a comment below!
