MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will slightly increase power rates by P0.0633 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in its April billing.

The latest price changes will bring electricity rates to P10.5594 per kWh from March’s P10.4961.

For a typical household consuming 200 kWh, it would mean an additional P12.60 in the bill.

Meanwhile, it will be an additional P12.60 and P18.90 for households consuming 300 kWh and 400 kWh, respectively.

The increase is mostly due to higher generation charges stemming from increased rates in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and the weakening of the peso against the United States dollar.

The cost of power from independent power sources also went up due to the weaker peso.

The increase was slightly offset by lower feed-in tariff allowance and charges from power supply agreements.

Meralco encouraged customers to practice energy efficiency initiatives during summer, when consumption is expected to go up.

Some of the energy-saving tips include:

• unplugging appliances when not in use to avoid “phantom load”
• using the aircon at mid-setting or at 25°C for maximum efficiency
• using a power board or strip which can supply power to several appliances at once 
• maximizing natural light during daytime
• keeping appliances well maintained to ensure optimal performance

Just a week ago, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid under yellow alert due to insufficient generation capacity as well as several power plants going offline. – Rappler.com