MORE Power pushes daily Earth Hour habit

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

MORE Electric and Power Corp., the distribution utility in Iloilo City, urged consumers to adopt daily energy-saving habits similar to those observed during Earth Hour.

MORE Power spokesperson Angel Tan said in a radio interview Saturday night that Earth Hour falls within the peak demand period of 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tan said average electricity demand in MORE Power’s coverage area during those hours is about 100 megawatts.

“Usually, around 7:00 PM onwards is our peak, so we monitor [consumption] around 100 to 110 [MW] on usual days. The Earth Hour is a significant undertaking because aside from residential [consumers], many commercial establishments are also participating,” Tan said in a radio interview.

She encouraged residents to practice Earth Hour-like conservation every day, noting the adjusted operating hours of malls and other commercial establishments.

Tan said unplugging devices and appliances when they are not in use can help both the power supply and consumers’ electricity bills.

“Things like [adjusted operating hours] are a big help [to energy conservation]. Our point here is that small initiatives of our consumers, such as unplugging unused devices, should not only be every Earth Hour but can be done every day,” she said.

“Right now, we are being conscious in the use of our appliances, knowing that we are facing problems, and our consumers in Iloilo City and province are aware of the news. If they can do it during Earth Hour, why not do it every day?” she added.

Daily Guardian reached out to Tan for an estimate of how much power demand fell during Earth Hour, but she had not responded as of this writing.

Earth Hour is a WWF-led global environmental campaign that began in Sydney in 2007, and this year’s observance was held from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, local time.