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Mompreneur Janice and Chef Bruce Share Delightful-E Simple Tips to Save Electricity Bills

Electrolux, world's second largest appliance maker, launched the 'Delightful-E Simple' campaign which aims to help moms save not just money but also their precious time by making their everyday tasks delightfully simple and easy.

Save & Share Blog Series2

As part of the ‘Delightful-E Simple’ campaign, Electrolux tapped 10 of the top entertainment and lifestyle bloggers in the country to interview Electrolux brand ambassadors Cheska Garcia Kramer, Chef Rosebud Benitez, Chef Bruce Lim and Mommy Mundo’s Janice Villanueva. These four celebrities are known for their credibility in their respective fields and passion for their craft that’s why they are the right people to ask about creative yet effective ways to save household expenses and sharing blessings to others.

In the first installment of my Save and Share Blog Series, I discussed with mompreneur Janice Villanueva and Asian Food Channel’s Chef Bruce Lim (from the cooking show ‘The Boss’) about my cousin who’s having problems with electricity bills. She’s a working mom with two kids aged 12 and 7. Her husband’s mom and 1 ‘kasambahay’ take care of the kids and the household chores while they’re at work. Being a mother, it’s her job to budget her and her husband’s salaries to meet all the household expenses monthly. Lately, she noticed that their electricity bills are 30% higher than before that they have to sacrifice two weekends in a month without going to the mall, eat at a fancy restaurant and watch a movie as a family. The bills are affecting their “family date” and she’s having a hard time thinking what are the appliances that they need to sacrifice: aircon, washing machine, desktop computer, LCD TV, electric fans, electric stove, microwave oven, refrigerator, and water heater.

Chef Bruce and Janice

Here are what Ms. Janice and Chef Bruce have to say about the situation:

1. What do you do to ensure that utility bills (esp electricity and water) do not spike up?

Janice:

“My household consists of 8 persons- 5 family members and 3 household staff and keeping utility costs down all boils down to education. For my husband and I, the homeowners, choosing energy efficient appliances, using the right settings for specific situations, and knowing how to use appliances properly are the key. Trickling this down this knowledge to the household helpers and kids is also important. To give an example with the use of aircons: 1) Buy an energy efficient aircon by checking the EE rating, make sure you buy an aircon with capacity that matches the size of the room. 2) For the helpers, teach them how to keep the aircon filters clean, and how to turn the aircon on and off and set proper thermostat setting. 3) For the kids, teach them that aircons consume a lot of electricity so every hour you save from aircon use can be a big deal. Tell them for example that turning on the aircon at 7pm instead of 6pm everyday, will save you a lot when you multiply each day by 30 days in a month.”

“Teaching kids is also based on age appropriateness- like for teens, you can teach them to use the timer already. For school age, teach them how to turn and set the thermostat knob to keep aircon energy efficient. For younger kids, teach them to use the fan when it’s possible and the aircon only when really really needed already. When talking benefits, you can even say that cost of that extra hour of aircon use amounts to the price of their favorite toy. Speaking in kids’ terms helps them understand better and allows them to be more involved.”

Chef Bruce:

“I have a family of boys who get dirty a lot and they can change clothes up to 4 times a day. So I have to make sure that my appliances is energy saving like my Electrolux washing machine it has energy saving features that I love! My air conditioners are all Electrolux inverters that also help me save on the energy bill!”

As a family man/woman, it can be a challenging task to SAVE when you have a lot of household expenses to think of. Why is it important to start saving? Based on your experience, what tips can you share so people can start saving up?

Janice:

“The famous lesson of “Paying Yourself First” is one that everyone should follow. When income comes in, set aside a fixed percentage of the amount before you pay off the bills, household expenses and even debt. The formula used for this is INCOME – SAVINGS = EXPENSE. Saving money is important because you will never know when an emergency comes up, and also you will need funds for retirement. Saving money essentially secures your future, and that of your family.”

Chef Bruce:

“I was always taught to save up for a raining day. My boys are very accident-prone so I have to make sure that whatever happens I can take care of them. So start up my making simple changes, like choosing energy saving appliances. That will cut back on your utility bills. Reuse and recycle is the next best thing. Get a reusable water bottle instead of always buying water. You will see that the saving will start piling up then put in the bank and you are ready for anything!”

Get updated with invaluable tips from the Electrolux Save and Share Blog Series by visiting www.facebook.com/thelittlewhitebook or following Electorolux on Twitter (@ElectroluxPH) and Instagram (@ElectroluxPH).

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