‘Conserve electricity, join electric bill challenge’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang called on the public yesterday to conserve electricity and join a campaign by the Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes an energy-efficient lifestyle.

In a Facebook post, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) shared an infographic about the DOE “electric bill challenge,” which encourages people to be mindful of their power consumption.

“Join the electric bill challenge of the Department of Energy and let us conserve electricity,” the PCO said.

The electric bill challenge involves posting one’s electric bills for March, practicing energy efficiency tips shared by the DOE, waiting for the electric bill for April and comparing the difference in cost, explaining how one achieved a lower cost by creating a detailed post and tagging the official Facebook page of the DOE to become a participant.

The DOE has promised “fun prizes” to the five most energy efficient homes.

Last month, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla urged the public to conserve energy, noting that demand increases in the dry season because of higher temperatures.

According to the DOE, energy efficiency is the use of less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. One can save money on energy bills by making energy-efficient upgrades like adding insulation, using LED lighting and installing a heat pump, the agency said.

The DOE noted that reducing energy use is essential in combating climate change because traditional power plants burn fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases and contribute to air pollution.

Among the energy conservation tips shared by the DOE are unplugging battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or when chargers are not in use, changing or cleaning air conditioner filters regularly, replacing standard bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps, turning off lights that are not needed, cleaning the condenser tube of refrigerators regularly and unplugging the television when not in use.