Power distributor reminds customers to practice electrical safety, energy efficiency
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has assured its 7.6 million customers of continuous and stable electricity service during the long Holy Week break.
While Meralco Business Centers will be closed from April 6 to 10 in observance of the Easter Triduum and the holiday declaration for the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), the power distributor’s personnel will be ready 24/7 to attend to electricity-related customer concerns.
“We are one with the nation in observing a solemn and safe Holy Week and we would like to assure our customers that Meralco personnel will remain on standby to respond to concerns and emergencies,” Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.
“We also continue to remind our customers and the public to practice electrical safety and energy efficiency,” he added.
For those going out of town, Meralco advises turning off appliances especially when going away for several days. For short two-day trips however, it’s best to keep refrigerators running instead of turning these off since it’s 12% more cost-efficient.
Meralco meanwhile advises those staying at home for the long holiday break to refrain from using “octopus connections” or plugging in extension cords into a single power outlet as this could overheat and result in fire and other accidents. Electrical wires and cords should always be organized, tucked, or stored away. Avoid placing and running electrical cords under rugs or carpets as constantly walking on these could damage the insulation of the wires.
With the Holy Week break coinciding with the dry months, Meralco urged its customers to continue practicing energy efficiency to help manage their consumption, which historically increases by 10% to 40% during summer.
Customers can better save on electricity consumption when energy efficiency practices are done right. For example, keeping the air conditioning unit (ACU) on when leaving the house for only an hour is 17% more cost-efficient than turning it off since the ACU compressor would need to work harder to cool the room again, leading to an increase in consumption.
Meralco also empowers its customers to better manage their electricity use with the help of the Appliance Calculator available in the Meralco Mobile App which provides information on the power consumption of gadgets and appliances.
For more energy efficiency and electrical safety tips, customers may visit the Meralco website at www.meralco.com.ph. Meralco can also be reached via its social media accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meralco) and Twitter (@meralco) or through its 16211 hotline. They may also text their concerns to 0920-9716211, 0917-5516211, and 0925-7716211.
