Meralco biz centers closed until April 10

BY LENIE LECTURA – APRIL 6, 2023
from Business Mirror

The business centers of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will be closed from April 6 to 10, but the utility firm assured its 7.6 million customers of continuous and stable electricity service during the long Holy Week break.

Meralco said its 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.” Meralco said consumers must turn 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 as it is 12 percent more cost-efficient.

The company reminded 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 percent during the hot dry season.

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 percent 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 reminded 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.