Based on our poll last week, MoneySmart readers who responded paid P1,179.79 per person per month for electricity. It appears that I am paying less than most of you at P850 per person, but my dears, I wouldn’t complain if my electric bill goes even lower!

So I searched the Internet and found myself cross-eyed at all the power-saving tips out there. Thing is, am I serious enough to follow through on those tips? Are you?

For example, I have been meaning to replace our 13-year old refrigerator with a newer one that’s more energy efficient but have been dragging my foot because I didn’t want to shell out cash. Silly, I know. Some cash outlay in the short-term, but more savings in the long-term! But isn’t it true we lose money everyday on unreasonable and silly things? One day drags into weeks, and my dillydallying may allow my refrigerator to live for yet another year. As with many personal finance issues, action speaks louder than words.

When I traded my old PC for a laptop, I reduced my electricity bill by more than P500 a month. Information from the Meralco website shows that might be because of the many voltage regulators and transformers that were working 24×7, along with the bigger screen etc. etc. They bleed our pockets dry even when we are sleeping.

But to be honest, that saving was not a result of my wanting to take action. It was consumerism’s blessing in disguise. I merely fell in love with a Mac!

The point is, knowing how to shave off at least P1,000 on your electricity bill is easy. You can start with the Meralco website that lists down lots of “electricitips” and has information on the wattage requirements of common household appliances. Helium.com and Stretcher.com have more useful tips and there are many, many more resources online.

The question is whether we are frugal enough to follow through on these ideas. Tell you what, let’s have another contest. The person who shows me the biggest reduction in electricity from May to June (computed on a per person basis) gets a simple treat from MoneySmarts.

Are we on? Send electronic copies of your electricity bills for May and June to lightdream (at) gmail (dot) com. It’s a worthy goal. Hope to hear from you in July!