Reduce power bills with these handy tips

MANILA, Philippines - High energy bills can very well spell disaster for your monthly household budget. But by making a few proactive changes in how you consume your electricity, you can enjoy lower bills and long-term savings.

“Nowadays, households often overlook the little mistakes that end up raising their energy bills,” says Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning (CCAC) Consumer Solutions Group director Harold Pernikar.

“One of these is forgetting to unplug appliances, televisions and chargers when not in use. Keeping these appliances on standby will eat up electricity, and drive up your bill,” Pernikar adds.

Aside from unplugging appliances and chargers to lower your home’s power bill, Pernikar recommends efficiently using appliances. For cooking, for instance, opt for small appliances such as your toaster, electric skillet or slow cooker, as these use less electricity compared to a range.

For lighting, make the switch from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you are willing to splurge on a more expensive but longer lasting solution, choose LEDs, which give off less heat, making your home cooler while helping you save electricity.

Air conditioners are often the culprits of high electric bills, but according to Pernikar, they don’t have to be — as long as you choose an energy-efficient cooling solution that delivers real savings. Pernikar recommends two unique air-con models that provide exactly that: the Carrier XPower 2 and the Carrier Optima.

According to Pernikar, the Carrier XPower 2 inverter high wall air conditioner provides 53 percent more savings versus other leading inverters. It features a Nano Technology Filtration System which purifies air using its Nano Silver Ginseng Filter and Nano Photo Copper Zinc Filter.

On the other hand, the Carrier XPower 2 inverter window room air conditioner consumes as little as 431 watts and is host to a full range of features, including quiet operation, anti-dust and anti-pollution filters, sleep mode, and auto-restart functions.

And there’s the highly efficient Carrier Optima high wall split air conditioner.  Pernikar says this model has an energy-efficient compressor that delivers the lowest electricity consumption with inverter-like savings compared to other brands in the fixed-speed category.

And in just two years, the retail price of the Optima will be paid back due to its annual savings of P12,000 (savings compared to buying other non-Carrier brands.) It also has a full range of features that include air-cleaning and protective filters, blue fin coating that protects against corrosion, an auto restart and leak detection feature, and a remote control to easily access features such as turbo and sleep mode.

“Each household has varying requirements when it comes to cooling, and these cooling solutions are designed to meet those different needs. But they have something really special in common, too — they save you money come bill time, and that is the bottom line,” says Pernikar.