Summit to tackle energy-saving tips

CEBU, Philippines - The Visayan Electric Company is set to hold an Energy Summit on Monday together with its biggest consumers who will tackle best practices in saving electricity.

VECO spokesperson Theresa Sederiosa said that they are inviting their big customers to educate power consumers on what measures they have adopted in conserving their energy.

VECO has been calling for the need to conserve energy among its customers within its franchise area.

"We will be holding the summit so that our customers will know how to conserve energy by listening what are the best practices adopted by the various big companies," Sederiosa said.

VECO has also distributed energy-saving tips.

It said that "by consuming only what is needed, we can help secure a steady supply of electricity".

VECO's handouts suggested eight tips in saving electricity with the first one suggesting to "unplug" electronics and appliances as they continues to sap energy while they are plugged even when switched off. Unplugging electronics can reduce energy consumption of 10 percent to 20 percent.

Second is to do a maintenance check on refrigerators or defrost refrigerators regularly and to ease the load of refrigerators, it must be put away from direct sunlight or other heat sources.

Third tip is to check the door seals of refrigerators to make sure they are firmly closed and would keep the temperature inside.

Fourth is to cover or block the sun's heat with curtains to save on cooling costs while fifth is to use the washing machine when one has collected a full load and avoid using tumble dryers.

Sixth is to use gas-powered stoves, ovens and heaters instead of their electric counterparts while it is advisable to use electric fans to cut down on airconditioner usage.

Lastly, VECO urges its consumers to choose energy efficient appliances since there are a number of appliances that do not consume much energy the way older models do. 

VECO said that energy crisis occurs when demand grows bigger than the energy supply.

"When we try to use more power than what is available, power interruptions are bound to happen," VECO added. – (FREEMAN)