Filipinos can still ask for help with their electricity woes during the Holy Week break.
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) assured this to its 7.6 million customers who might experience power glitches and other emergencies while they are on vacation.
Meralco on March 31 posted its schedule for the conclusion of the Lenten Season.
Business centers will be closed from April 6 to 8 in observance of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday.
They will also be closed on Monday, April 10 for the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan).
Regular operations will resume on April 11.
Despite the offices being on break, Meralco assured subscribers that its personnel will be on standby round-the-clock to address the needs of their customers during this period.
“Rest assured that we are ready to serve you 24/7 via our online channels,” it said.
Meralco’s corporate communications chief Joe Zaldarriaga also issued the same guarantee in a statement.
“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,” Zaldarriaga said.
“We also continue to remind our customers and the public to practice electrical safety and energy efficiency,” he added.
Meralco, in the meantime, offered the following tips to Filipinos to save up on electrical power:
- Turn off appliances when going away for several days.
- For two-day trips and shorter, it’s more energy-efficient to keep refrigerators running. It is 12% more cost-efficient.
- For those staying at home, 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.
The power distributor also pointed out that electrical consumption historically increases by 10% to 40% during summer.
Consumers, therefore, are encouraged to practice energy efficiency while dealing with the humid, dry weather.
“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,” the company said.
