Meralco rates are near record levels, so guessing what an appliance costs is an expensive habit. Here is the arithmetic for a 1.5HP split-type inverter aircon at the current rate, with every assumption written down so you can change it.
A 1.5HP split-type inverter aircon draws about 1,000 W. At the current Meralco rate of ₱14.7833 per kWh that is ₱14.78 per hour. Used 8 hours a day it costs ₱118.27 daily and about ₱3,548 a month.
Calculate it for your own 1.5hp split-type inverter aircon
Change any box. The result updates as you type.
Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
| Usage | kWh | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | 1.00 | ₱14.78 |
| Per day at 8 hours | 8.00 | ₱118.27 |
| Per 30-day month | 240.00 | ₱3,548 |
| Per year | 2,920.00 | ₱43,167 |
What drives the number
The saving against a non-inverter unit of the same horsepower is largest when the aircon runs long hours, which is exactly how most households use it.Only three things decide the cost: the wattage, the hours, and the rate. Wattage is fixed by the unit you own and is printed on the nameplate. The rate is fixed by Meralco and changes monthly. Hours is the only one under your control, which is why the table below is the useful one.
Cost by hours used per day
| Hours/day | kWh/day | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.00 | ₱14.78 | ₱443.50 |
| 2 | 2.00 | ₱29.57 | ₱887.00 |
| 4 | 4.00 | ₱59.13 | ₱1,774 |
| 6 | 6.00 | ₱88.70 | ₱2,661 |
| 8 | 8.00 | ₱118.27 | ₱3,548 |
| 10 | 10.00 | ₱147.83 | ₱4,435 |
| 12 | 12.00 | ₱177.40 | ₱5,322 |
| 24 | 24.00 | ₱354.80 | ₱10,644 |
Inverter or non-inverter, and whether it is worth the difference
A non-inverter aircon has one compressor speed: full. It runs at rated power until the room hits temperature, switches off, then switches back on when the room warms. An inverter unit varies compressor speed instead, running hard to pull the room down and then idling at a fraction of rated power to hold it there.
The saving shows up in the hours after the room is already cool, which for most Filipino households is most of the night. Six to eight hours of holding temperature is where an inverter unit spends far less. For an hour or two of use it barely matters, and the higher purchase price never comes back.
The other thing worth knowing is that horsepower is a sizing decision, not a comfort decision. An oversized unit cools the room fast, shuts off before it has removed much moisture, and leaves the room cold and clammy. People respond by setting it lower, which costs more again.
How to spend less on it
- Set 25 to 26 degrees rather than 18. Every degree lower means more compressor minutes per hour, and the room does not get comfortable faster.
- Clean the filter monthly. A blocked filter starves airflow and stretches every cooling cycle, which is exactly the thing you pay for.
- Run an electric fan with the aircon. The fan costs a few centavos an hour and lets most people sit comfortably two or three degrees warmer.
- Close the room and block the gap under the door. Cooling a room that leaks into the rest of the house is the most common waste.
- Use the timer. Setting it to cut off after you fall asleep removes the hours nobody benefits from.
Reading this against your actual Meralco bill
Your bill shows total kWh consumed and the amount charged. Divide the total by the kWh and you get your real effective rate, which will differ from the headline figure because of lifeline discounts, senior citizen discounts and the refunds Meralco is currently passing back.
Households consuming 100 kWh or less qualify automatically for the lifeline rate, which is substantially cheaper and applied without registration. If that is you, every figure on this page is an overestimate. Put your own effective rate into the calculator above and the numbers will correct themselves.
How the Meralco rate has moved this year
The same 1.5HP split-type inverter aircon cost noticeably less in January than it does now, with nobody changing how they use it. The generation charge is repriced every month against fuel costs, the peso-dollar rate and the wholesale spot market, so these figures move with it.
| Month | Rate per kWh | Bill at 200 kWh |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | ₱12.9508 | ₱2,590 |
| February 2026 | ₱13.1734 | ₱2,635 |
| March 2026 | ₱13.8161 | ₱2,763 |
| April 2026 | ₱14.3496 | ₱2,870 |
| May 2026 | ₱14.3345 | ₱2,867 |
| June 2026 | ₱14.4833 | ₱2,897 |
| July 2026 | ₱14.8261 | ₱2,965 |
| August 2026 | ₱14.7833 | ₱2,957 |
Compared with the alternatives
| Appliance | Watts | Per hour | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1HP Aircon | 900 W | ₱13.30 | ₱3,193 |
| 1.5HP Aircon | 1,300 W | ₱19.22 | ₱4,612 |
| 2HP Aircon | 1,800 W | ₱26.61 | ₱6,386 |
| 0.5HP Aircon | 450 W | ₱6.65 | ₱1,597 |
| 1HP Inverter Aircon | 700 W | ₱10.35 | ₱2,484 |
Running a 1.5HP split-type inverter aircon on solar
The Philippines averages roughly 4.8 peak sun hours a day, well above most of Europe or the northern United States. That, plus a grid rate near fifteen pesos, is why rooftop solar pays back faster here than international figures suggest, often in three to five years in Meralco territory.
| Panel size | Output per day | Panels needed |
|---|---|---|
| 400 W | 1.54 kWh | 6 |
| 450 W | 1.73 kWh | 5 |
| 550 W | 2.11 kWh | 4 |
| 600 W | 2.30 kWh | 4 |
Panels only produce in daylight. If the 1.5HP split-type inverter aircon runs at night, that energy has to come from a battery, and batteries remain the expensive part of a Philippine solar quote. Net metering credits exports at the generation charge rather than the full retail rate, so using your own production during the day is worth considerably more than selling it back. Financing options including the SSS Energy Sustainability Loan are worth reading before you commit.