Expenses for electricity and gas eat up more than half of the monthly income of a Filipino household, according to a study by a UK-based energy consultancy.
In a recent study by Utility Bidder, the Philippines ranked third among countries spending the most on utilities, with 61.5 percent of a household’s income spent on utilities.
The largest chunk or 38.9 percent of a Filipino household’s income goes to gas and utilities.
This is followed by expenses for broadband, which gets 18.8 of the household’s income.
“The island country in South East Asia also ranks in the top three for broadband, spending 18 percent of their monthly salary on an internet connection,”Utility Bidder said.
In addition, 3.3 percent of a Filipino household’s income is spent on electricity, while 0.5 percent is spent on one gigabyte of mobile data.
Results of the study showed that Pakistan ranked first among countries where people spend the most amount of their monthly wages in utilities, with 82.9 percent of household income spent on utilities.
This was followed by Nigeria with its citizens spending 67.7 percent of their income on utilities.
In contrast, the results of the study also showed that Switzerland ranked first among countries that spend the least on utilities, with households only spending 6.20 percent of their monthly income on utilities.
Singapore and Ireland followed with households spending 6.30 percent and 6.50 percent of their monthly incomes on utilities.
“From water and gas to broadband, utilities are crucial for societies to function and play a vital role in both economic and social development around the world. However, with the cost of living constantly rising and the recent rise in gas prices, it’s becoming increasingly hard to pay for the energy we use,” Utility Bidder said.
To save up on energy bills, Utility Bidder suggests switching off appliances you are not using at the plug, as well as turning the lights off when you’re leaving a room, which could save up to £20 a year.
“When it comes to washing, dialling down the temperature on your washing machine to 30ºC instead of higher temperatures could save you £28 a year, and reducing the number of washing cycles by one a week could knock another £8 off your bill,” Utility Bidder said.
It added that drying clothes on racks and outside instead of using a dryer could also result in savings of £55 in a year.