Meralco Shifting To Eco-friendly Distribution Transformers

With their goal for a greener and more sustainable Meralco, the power company will begin to retrofill existing transformers with natural ester oil.

The sweltering heat of recent months took its toll not only on the millions who live and work in Meralco’s sprawling franchise area but on power distribution equipment as well, resulting in some power interruptions during the summer. The sharp surge in consumption of residential customers due to work from home arrangement and community quarantine exacerbated the situation. 

But that would gradually change and may eventually become a thing of the past as Meralco shifts to an environment-friendlier alternative to the mineral oil used as insulating liquid for its distribution transformers. 

 

Data studied by Meralco suggests that using natural ester oil as insulating liquid allows for higher loading capacities of distribution transformers which is crucial during summer months when demand for electricity is higher. The plant-based oil has higher “fire point” of 360 degrees Celsius compared with 180 degrees Celsius for mineral oil, which will make distribution transformers less of a fire hazard. Data also showed ester oil could extend distribution transformers’ useful life.  

 

Since natural ester oil comes from vegetables, it is also readily biodegradable—a quality that meets Meralco’s goal of going greener and pushing for sustainability.

Starting this year, the country’s largest power distributor with over seven million customers will retrofill with plant-based ester oil the fluid used to insulate existing distribution transformers.

Meralco plans to spend billions of pesos through 2030 to fill with ester oil more than 180,000 distribution transformers.  The move would make these equipment run more efficiently, operate more safely, and be eco-friendly.

“Using natural ester oil as insulating liquid in our distribution transformers instead of mineral oil will allow us to extend the life of these crucial equipment as well as do away with using mineral oil that is harder to dispose,” said Ronnie L.  Aperocho, Meralco Senior Vice President and Head of Networks.

 

After his appointment as Meralco Chief Executive Officer in 2019, Atty. Ray C. Espinosa underscored that stewardship of the environment and sustainability are among the top priorities of the company that distributes electricity to an area that accounts for around half of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.

At this year’s stockholders meeting, Espinosa unveiled Meralco’s plan to source more electricity from renewables, revamp the company’s vehicle fleet to use more electric vehicles, and to use extensively plant-based oil for distribution transformers.

“Going forward, one hundred percent of our new distribution transformers will use plant-based natural ester oil, making these assets 99% recyclable and biodegradable,” he told shareholders.

Meralco, PLDT, Smart, Pag-IBIG and other bills? Don't pay cash, PayMaya!

Paying for your bills now gets more convenient and ultra rewarding when you use PayMaya. Instead of spending time to line up at a payments center, just use your PayMaya app and get up to P300 cashback plus a chance to have PayMaya cover your bills next month! 



Worried about how to pay for your Meralco, PLDT, Smart and other utility bills as well as your payments for government services? PayMaya has your back with its convenient Bills Pay feature. 

To make it even better, pay for your bills via PayMaya every Friday and Saturday throughout the month of September and get a P100 cashback on your first three transactions. Don’t forget that your bills worth a minimum of P1,000 each should be paid in full and on time. 

And if you pay at least three unique bills within the month worth P5,000 and above until September 30, you also get the chance to win your next month’s worth of bill payments! One hundred (100) lucky raffle winners will take home P10,000 each, which they can use to pay for the next bill or for other purposes. 



The best part of all this? You can enjoy all these deals and rewards, by simply paying for your bill within the comforts of your own home! All you will ever need is your PayMaya app in your smartphone. 



Paying bills is a breeze with PayMaya!  



To start paying for your bills, just follow these simple steps: 


1.  Open the PayMaya app and select Pay Bills. 
2.  Choose your desired biller. 
3.  Enter the account number from your bill. 
4.  Enter the amount of your payment. 
5.  Confirm your payment. 
6.  You will be notified in-app and via SMS that your payment was successful! 


It's that easy to pay for your bills with PayMaya. Instead of wasting time on long lines and hours of traffic, now you can spend more time working on your passion project or doing the things you love with your family and friends. 



Don't have a PayMaya account yet? Download the app now for your Android or iOS phone and register to pay for your bills, shop online, send money, and even buy prepaid load, in the most convenient way. 


PayMaya, the digital financial services arm of Voyager Innovations, is the only FinTech company in the Philippines offering integrated consumer and merchant payment solutions with the widest on-ground branch network. It is the first to give millions of Filipinos an e-wallet that allows them to pay cashless transactions at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, and from any device.   



To know more how you can maximize your PayMaya account, visit www.paymaya.com/deals

Good news from Meralco!

This is just good news for us moms. I know that some of us are struggling paying for our utility bills every month. When you have to budget your money for food, kids baon and utility bills! The good news is that Meralco lower their kilowatt-hour electricity rates.

The country’s largest electricity distribution utility has announced that overall electricity rates for the first month of the year is down to P9.84 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), lower by P0.34 per kWh from prior month’s P10.18. This translates to P68 savings in electricity costs for typical households consuming 200 kWh of electricity per month.

This decrease was brought about by lower generation charges from Meralco’s Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) with power generation companies. Historically, movements in electricity rates are driven by generation charges which are pass-through charges, meaning these are only collected by Meralco in behalf of entities like the power generation companies.



Among these pass-through charges are transmission charges paid to NGCP, and taxes and other public policy charges that are remitted to the government. Meanwhile, Meralco’s distribution, supply, and metering charges – the only charges that count as Meralco revenues – have remained unchanged since July 2015.


For this month’s episode of Meralco Advisory, Meralco also encourages its customers to download the Meralco Mobile app to be notified of bill updates, view their monthly bills online and be updated of the latest on Meralco services. The Meralco Mobile app is already available on iPhone App Store and Google Play. View the latest Meralco Advisory video here: https://youtu.be/CUrndT9qg_c


To further help its customers manage electricity consumption, Meralco reminds its customers to continue energy efficiency practices.

These helpful habits include unplugging appliances when not in use as they still consume energy when plugged in; adjusting aircon units at mid-setting for maximum efficiency; using a power board or strip as this allows a user to conveniently turn off several appliances with just one switch; maximizing natural light during daytime; and, last but not the least, keeping appliances well maintained to ensure optimal performance.

For more helpful tips, customers may visit Meralco’s website at www.meralco.com.ph or its social media accounts, Twitter @meralco and Facebook at www.facebook.com/meralco.

PHILPOP LAUNCHES STAR-STUDDED 2014 ALBUM

A stellar cast of interpreters have taken part in the much awaitedPhilpop 2014 album, produced by Universal Records.

As the premier songwriting competition in the country, Philpop has been regarded as the breeding ground and ultimate recognitionfor brilliant, excellently madesongs.  With top quality singers breathing life to the finalists’ entries, thisyear’s campaignpromises to be even more exciting.
Last year’s competition saw 12 diverse and exceptional compositions from both the amateur and professional ranks, featuring different genres and styles.  These top 12 songs have accumulated around 43 million hits on YouTube.  A few months ago, the winning song, “Dati”, written by Thyro Alfaro and YumiLacsamana, performed by Sam Concepcion, Tippy dos Santos and Quest, has trumped 25 million hits – a testament to its overwhelming achievement.  This year, they are looking forward to new milestones in their campaign to elevate Filipino music, even on a global platform.



Since revealing the top 12 compositions during the OPM Summit last March, this year’s songwriters have been hard at work to produce their songs with Philpop and its partner Universal Records.  And now the Philpop 2014 album has been released and will first be exclusively available on SPINNR the country’s leading music portal.

SPINNR is the Philippines' FIRST music streaming service that serves up the total music experience.  Powered by Smart Music, it offers unlimited music streaming for as low as P49 a month, or P2.50 per day without additional data charges. Available to all Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun Cellular subscribers nationwide, SPINNR can be accessed via the Web through spinnr.ph, and through mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.

Listeners are in for a musical treat with an amazing lineup of songs, created by remarkable songwriters, interpreted by superb artists.

NGSB (No Girlfriend Since Break)
by Davey Langit, interpreted by LUIGI D’AVOLA
This 18 year old half-Italian, half-Filipino singer has an exciting career ahead of him, as a singer-songwriter, and now even a VJ.  His voice, musical style, vibrant personality, humility and charm are what makes fans go crazy over him.

The Only One 
by Venelyn San Pedro THOR
Thor has made his mark in the industry as a unique artist, singer, songwriter and vocal coach and was one of the semi-finalists of “The Voice of the Philippines.” He gives an R&B power vocal rendition of the song “The Only One” and draws the listener with his full, supple voice.

Awit Mo'yNandito Pa
by Ronaldo Sorioso,  Aldrich and James
Aldrich LoydTalonding is the 14-year-old YouTube sensation from General Santos City whose powerful and passionate voice has taken him from their B’laan tribal community, to the Ellen DeGeneres show.   His rendition of "Dance with my Father", with his cousin James Bucong on the guitar, was what launched their career which has now taken their music abroad.

Torpe
by Daryl Ong, Kris Lawrence
Interpreting a song for Philpop is one of the many great milestones in Kris Lawrence’s career which started off when he won the “Star in a Million” years ago.  The singer, songwriter, musician, producer and now theater actor is a regular fixture on GMA’s Sunday All Stars where he continues to make his mark, amongst the best singers in the country.

Babalikan Mo RinAko
by Soc Villanueva Nikki Gil
Nikki Gil has a stellar career as a singer, actress, host, model and a VJ.  She once again over achieves with her marvelous and moving rendition of a song that is all about empowerment.

Song On A Broken String
by Jude Gitamondoc and Therese Marie Villarante Nicole Asensio
The former vocalist of the all-female rock band General Luna is making strides as a solo artist taking ondifferent genres such as rock,classical, lounge and even broadway.  She was once with Repertory Philippines and also played the role of “Mimi” in the hit musical “Rent”.

Salbabida
by Jungee Marcelo Kyla
Kyla has a long list of achievements, and even the distinction of having the most wins for a female artist at the Awit Awards. She has also been honored by the Philippines Society of Composers, Singers and Publishers for her contributions to music as one of the first pioneers of R&B music in the Philippines, hence the title "The Philippines' R&B and Soul Princess”.

Dear Heart
by  Mike Villegas Kiana Valenciano
The only daughter of Gary and AngeliValenciano is going down her own path as a singer, dancer, actress, host, and commercial model.  She lends her beautiful voice and youthful vibrance to a song that will make her grand debut in the scene a hit.

Hangout Lang
by Allan Feliciano and Isaac Joseph Garcia Duncan Ramos and Young JV
The former South Border frontman Duncan Ramos has been established as one of the country’s most notable R&B singers.  Young JV is a rapper, singer, dancer, host, and producer and actor.  The two collaborate for one of the more upbeat entries for Philpop this year and bring in the funky feel that makes the song fun and unique.

Qrush On You
by QYork’s James Palma aka FlavaMatikz and Cedric Bonjoc aka Knowa Lazarus Elmo Magalona and JayR
From Best Teen Performer, to top youth Icon of the year, to Male Teen star of the year, Elmo Magalona has achieved much as a very versatile artist – on screen and in the music industry.  He partners with the Philippines’ King of R&B JayR who has platinum records under his belt and also a stellar acting and modeling career
.
Kung Akin Ang Langit
by Cecilia Bocobo and Isaac Joseph Garcia Clara Benin and McoyFundales
For this special song, a very unique duet was put together.  Clara, the daughter of former Side A member Joey Benin, is gifted with such mesmerizing, wistful vocals.  McoyFundaleshasone of the more familiar voices with the song “PinoyAko” by his former band Orange and Lemons still echoing in the hearts of Filipinos everywhere.  Put them together and they create a beautiful tandem for a song with such a wonderful message.

Langit Umaawit
by Ronaldo Sorioso, Tom Rodriguez
Many know him for his lead role in a controversial television drama on GMA, “My Husband’s Lover,” and his other stints on reality TV shows, telenovelas and even the silver screen.  But Tom Rodriguez can trace his roots in musical theater as well, having played the title role in the Asian premiere of Disney's Aladdin.


One of the top 12 contenders will emerge as the 1-million peso grand prize winner which will be determined on July 26 at the Meralco Theater.  The foundation’s Executive Director Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, Board of Directors Noel Cabangon and Ogie Alcasid are all praises for this year’s crop of finalists and are elated to share thesePhilpop hits with the world.

“This year's finalists constitute a heady brew of the most varied of genres: dance, rock, R&B, a couple of ballades, some pop and a genre-defying song in multi meter. I am also happy and excited to hear established singers shoulder to shoulder with new, up and coming performers. Only time will tell which songs will generate the most audience interest. Listen to the top 12 finalist of thePhilpop 2014 and be the judge,” shared the foundation’s executive director Maestro Ryan Cayabyab.

Philpop is presented by Smart and SPINNR, co-presented by PLDT Home Telpad, and sponsored by Maynilad, Meralco and Sun Cellular. Philpop is supported by the First Pacific Leadership Academy, Metro Pacific Investments, MNTC Philex, and TV5.  Special thanks to Sony,Business World, Radio Republic, Rx93.1, Yahoo, and Myx.