QUEZON CITY — Establishing a new business venture or expanding an existing one has its fair share of considerations and challenges. With inherent risks at every stage, finding the best business solutions can play a key role in accelerating the growth and success of any business endeavor.
With electricity as a key expense in any business enterprise, Meralco has created the Biz Partners Group, a special segment dedicated to assist start-up companies or existing ones expanding their businesses, via a whole menu of services that provides smart, tailor-fit solutions in managing electricity requirements. This is part of Meralco’s efforts to help entrepreneurs leverage energy efficiency and maximize profits.
Whether you’re engaged in small-scale manufacturing, boutique hotels, restaurants, farming or any other type of industry where the management of electricity cost is vital, Meralco Biz Partners can provide free business consultancy and help your business discover energy solutions, right size your contract, understand your bill, and get to know their Accredited Meralco Contractors (AMCs). You can even enjoy special rates to maximize profits further.
“We are doing this (media launch) as part of our awareness building for the (Biz Partners) segment so that more and more customers will know of how Meralco is ‘productizing’ and ‘consumerizing’ its very engineered or technical products and services that we actually do for our customers already,” shared Anne Ablaza-Gomez, Manager and Head for Biz Marketing of Meralco.
Discover energy solutions and turn electricity costs into profits with Meralco Biz Partners’ Power Ideas that can boost your business with the use of innovative technology, thus helping you manage your electricity consumption by switching to energy-efficient alternatives, and adapting green energy solutions.
Meralco Biz Partners can help you right size your contract to ensure that your energy supply is sufficient and appropriate, depending on your usage. Businesses submit to Meralco Biz Partners a list of all the equipment and machinery installed in their respective facilities. From here, 80% of the load as your contracted capacity is calculated. This then constitutes your Guaranteed Minimum Billing Demand (GMBD), the fixed monthly cost allocated for your business. Getting the right contract size thus allows businesses to get the best value from the service they are paying for, another smart way to manage energy costs.
Generate more savings and turn in improved revenues with lower electricity rates when you enroll in Meralco’s Peak/Off-Peak Program. This lets businesses leverage electricity generation charges that are cheaper in selected hours and days in a week. Off peak hours are from 9pm to 8am every Monday to Saturday; as well as 12 midnight to 6pm, and 8pm to 12 midnight every Sunday. Meralco Biz Partners can help you plan how to shift specific operations, such as those that involve the use of power-intensive equipment, to off-peak hours without incurring labor-related costs.
Meralco Biz Partners will also give businesses access to its list of Accredited Meralco Contractors (AMCs) who have received technical and safety training from Meralco. Whether you are looking for expert energy service providers or contractors, having a trusted, reliable partner will help assure good quality service, as well as safe, hassle-free and timely energization.
“It’s pretty unique that a utility company like Meralco is advertising in this way,” Ablaza-Gomez notes. “We are trying to create awareness and strong affinity towards this brand, this segment because we believe that this segment (80% of which are SMEs) are the core of the nation. SMEs provide most of the jobs for Filipinos in this country. Every SME enterprise has a worker na maraming iba pang relatives na sinu-support, so we see that if we may be able to help these SMEs and those mid- to large corporations, we’re also helping the nation improve its economy. And once the economy is improved, it becomes healthier for every Filipino.”
To bring the benefits of Meralco Biz Partners to more entrepreneurs, Meralco has been holding a series of Power Up Forums, a succession of highly informative presentations to engage various industries, with the goal of educating and empowering them on energy best practices and solutions to maximize their efficiency, energy consumption and profits.
“Providing value and helping our customers and partners have always been our mission at Meralco,” shares Alfredo Panlilio, Meralco Senior Vice-President and Head, Customer Retail Services & Corporate Communications. “With the introduction of Meralco Biz Partners, and the Power Up Forum series, we aim to share our knowledge and expertise to truly give our partners the power to effectively and efficiently build and grow their businesses.”
Starting and growing your own business is an undertaking filled with risks and challenges. But by having the right partner by your side, one with the expertise such as Meralco Biz Partners, you can have access to safe and reliable solutions that will guide you along the right path towards success.
In photo are Anne Ablaza-Gomez, Manager and Head of Meralco Biz Marketing, and Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco Public Information Office head.