Comments on: Energy Costs in the PI (Not What You Think They Are?!?)

By: Randy

Randy — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:40:53 +0000

If I remember correctly, Meralco in Manila was fairly expensive for electic however to the best of my recollection in Davao city we were paying between P6 and P7 per kWh. That should equal to about 0.14 cents per kwh.
We have a 2 bedroom condo in Davao city and although we pretty much only run the A/C at night and fans during the day our average monthly bill was about P2,500. I guess that’s about $55.
we have had guests stay in our condo and run the a/c 24 hour a day and they obviously paid much more I beleive somewhere in the $120 range but its more of a waste as opposed to cost.

By: TropicalPenpals

TropicalPenpals — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:13:30 +0000

First thing is the prices vary province to province which is a major problem. Although ours currently comes in at around P1,600 a month with 1 x A/C and electric fans running all day (as well as a lot of gadgets). But I think the main thing is finding a way round a lot of the costs rather than trying to justify the expense.

Firstly your friends house is in Manila so likely to be more expensive rates due to city living. Second is the issue of location as most foreign nationals live in Sub-Divisions problem with this is the same that made climate change seem worse than it is on the planet. Once you start constructing buildings around another the natural heat in the area rises by as much as 5 degrees. There is also the issue of height. In most local areas you will find most houses dont go higher than 2 levels. If you put in a roof decking area with a canopy this will not only reduce the heat in the rooms below but also its a lot cooler throughout the day for sitting up in which wont need cooling at all. This means if used as a sitting/dining area you can switch off most of the cooling equipment in the rest of the house. Might be worth sticking timer circuits on ceiling fans etc. So that in the morning they switch themselves off and in the evening on when needed.

But the most important thing is looking at how each person lives. We have managed on a budget of P15,000 a month before but currently its around P25,000 but as the budget has increased so has our income. On a tight month we can easily crank back. Another factor to look at is excess westerners generally have 101 gadgets and only really need 10 of them selling the excess and going back to manual on a lot of equipment isnt only cheaper but less likely to need spares or repairs due to the climate issue in the Philippines and the fact Ants love electronics to eat.

By: rich

rich — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:54:40 +0000

yes thats the plan basically single story, no carpet, high ceilings, good roofing, tons insulation, concrete, big fans/large pitch, and a/c in key rooms.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:20:50 +0000

Yes that is probably a lot of it plus the extra juice to cool it back down after the PSU’s use juice to heat it up. Single level might help if you plan to A/C the whole place. Two floors can actually be helpful in some places because the upper floors catch the cooler night breezes. (Providing there are any) So fans can circulate the air and cool the whole place.

Most people in the Philippines I know just cool the bedrooms at night if they use A/C.

By: rich

rich — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:45:40 +0000

Yes will be putting up articles relating to what I plan to do as far as LPG. I agree its high, Im in the process of tracking it down, I believe its my office those 1000 watt PSUs pull alot of amperage

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:04:06 +0000

Wow your electric bill is three times the budget I have now to maintain a 2br apartment. I mean the whole budget for everything. There is an A/C in one bedroom and a computer. Then they use fans and lights. Electric bill this month was about P1288.

Keep in mind most housed in the Philippines use LP gas for cooking so no electricity for that. You can get electric stoves if you really prefer.

Reducing useage would be a good inital step I think. There are of course other things you can do. Interested to see your ideas.

By: rich

rich — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:11:32 +0000

I wish my bill was that, as you can see its not , i am going to monitor the duplex were staying in next month, i hope that it has a separate meter for each side, so i can see the kWh usage. Ya we have the a/c set to 65 here basically all day, plus a window unit in my office for really hot days.

Your bill would be a dream thats our winter bill haha, maybe its my computers eating all the juice, hmmmm time for some testing!
I do have 1000 watt PSUs in them

If we had your bill I would be there at least 1 year earlier lol

By: Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:43:02 +0000

Rich,
Both you and your friend in Manila pay more for electricity then I had ever paid in my life, in the States or here.
We have a small 3 bedroom house. Because of the house starting as a small home and then increased in size being built to the property line on 3 sides. Because of this, the 2 small bedrooms have no windows. We run exhaust fans in these rooms 24/7 plus regular fans when the rooms are occupied. We also have a ceiling fan in the kitchen/dining area and a stand fan in our bedroom and living room when occupied. We also use a large, 2 1/2 HP Aircon in our bedroom from about 9pm to 8am every day.
With this said, we only pay about 6,000 Php ($125 USD) a month. It is still more expensive than the US. I had a 2 story 1300 sq ft townhouse in South East Florida. I ran the A/C 24/7 set at 75 degrees during the days and 73 degrees at night. I never paid more then $75 a month.

By: Does Solar Power Really Save Money | Philippines or Bust

Does Solar Power Really Save Money | Philippines or Bust — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:59:13 +0000

[...] I first realized the extreme costs of electricity in the Philippines ( Energy Costs in the PI (Not What You Think They Are?!?) ), I immediately started looking for solutions to the problem. The very first thought that came to [...]