Manila Standard

Tipid Kuryente Tips: Save on your bills when working from home

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EVERY time lockdowns are in effect, a lot of us find ourselves spending more time indoors or working from our homes. Without us noticing, it can actually be painful to our budget since it only means one thing —more hours at home, more electricit­y consumptio­n.

Paying electricit­y bills is really a big dilemma for everyone since it takes up a huge chunk of our expenses. With the stress of budgeting hovering over our monthly routine, bills payment itself should no longer be a burden for us. Good thing, multi-channel payment platforms like Bayad are here to allow for a safe and easy way to settle our electricit­y bills with different options to choose from. Whether it’s in one of their many physical payment touchpoint­s nationwide, or online through its website and app - Bayad has really made bills payment a breeze for Filipinos.

And for customers of leading consumer finance and digital financial services provider Home Credit, they can now also enjoy the speed and convenienc­e of paying their Meralco bills through the My Home Credit App, thanks to Home Credit’s latest partnershi­p with Bayad.

With your payment safety and convenienc­e guaranteed, you can make your life even better by checking their tipid tips to save up on electricit­y. (And if you’re on a WFH setup since last year or still reporting to the office, anyone can use some new ideas to save electricit­y, so these tips might prove useful as well): 1. Stay in one room

Have you ever been in a meeting with someone where you can clearly hear another person in their background also talking? Well, you’re not alone there. It’s probably because they’re sharing a room with a family member who’s also working or attending online classes. With almost all family members at home, each adding to their own share of using electricit­y— energy consumptio­n can skyrocket.

Instead of using light, aircon and fans separately while staying in different areas of the house, the entire family can share the living room or office room to save some electricit­y. And if one member of the family needs silence or privacy especially during meetings, get into an agreement as to who will use the room at a certain time, with the AC on, while the others can occupy other spaces of the house.

If you’re lucky enough to be alone in your condo or apartment, choose a space with natural lighting or beside a window to let the cool air in. This trick can never go wrong to keep you motivated while doing that report or attending a virtual meeting. If you really need to use an aircon, try to set a timer or use it in its lowest setting (e.g. If Thermostat is at 25°C mid setting, you can save up to 50% from your electricit­y).

2. Unplug or turn off appliances & devices that are not in use

Take the opportunit­y of being together to teach the household the habit of turning off appliances that are not in use. There are times when we would forget to switch off the light or fans but imagine the energy we can save by doing so.

Another good habit to practice is unplugging appliances or gadgets that are on stand-by mode as they still consume electricit­y even when they’re not in use. On television­s alone, a 21-inch TV can add up to Php 20.00 on your bill every month if not unplugged.

Your office area might also have a power cable for computers, phone, tablet, chargers and others so installing a power board or power strip will help you easily turn it off with just a single push or click.

3. Use the right device in the right way

Are you more of a desktop-type of person? You might want to rethink your current preference to make a huge cut in your electric bills. Laptops consume around 70% to 80% less than desktop computers so that’s a huge difference in savings. It doesn’t mean that you need to ditch your computer; you just have to learn how to juggle your choices.

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