Meralco rates are near record levels, so guessing what an appliance costs is an expensive habit. Here is the arithmetic for a 2HP window aircon at the current rate, with every assumption written down so you can change it.
A 2HP window aircon draws about 1,800 W. At the current Meralco rate of [hed_ph_rate] per kWh that is [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”hour”] per hour. Used 8 hours a day it costs [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”day”] daily and about [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”month”] a month.
What drives the number
[hed_ph_note appliance=”aircon-2hp”]
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
[hed_ph_hours appliance=”aircon-2hp”]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 2HP window 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.
[hed_ph_rate_history]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 |
| 0.5HP Aircon | 450 W | ₱6.65 | ₱1,597 |
| 1HP Inverter Aircon | 700 W | ₱10.35 | ₱2,484 |
| 1.5HP Inverter Aircon | 1,000 W | ₱14.78 | ₱3,548 |
Running a 2HP window 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.
[hed_ph_solar appliance=”aircon-2hp”]Panels only produce in daylight. If the 2HP window 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.
Questions people actually ask
[hed_faq]Magkano ang kuryente ng 2HP window aircon kada buwan?Humigit-kumulang [hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”month”] kada buwan kung gagamitin ng 8 oras araw-araw, sa kasalukuyang Meralco rate na [hed_ph_rate] kada kWh. Kung mas kaunti ang oras, mas mababa rin ang bayad.
How many watts does a 2HP window aircon use?About 1,800 W while running. Check the nameplate on your own unit, because models vary and the label figure is the one that applies to you.
How much does it cost per hour?[hed_ph_cost appliance=”aircon-2hp” period=”hour”] per hour at the current Meralco rate of [hed_ph_rate] per kWh.
Will it cost the same outside Meralco territory?No. Electric cooperatives in the Visayas and Mindanao charge different rates, some higher and some lower. Take the cost per kWh from your own bill and enter it in the calculator on this page, and every figure will recalculate for your area.
Does the lifeline rate change these figures?Yes. Households consuming 100 kWh or less per month qualify automatically for a subsidised rate that is substantially below the standard residential rate, so the figures here would be an overestimate for those households.[/hed_faq]