How to save on basic services and transport?

Between January and July of this year, the supply of water and electricity increased, which created a headache for consumers. During this period, the cost electricity increased by 2.5% in metropolitan Limaaccording to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics ERI, and in August the Agency for Supervision of Investments in the Energy and Mining Industry (Osinergmin) confirmed the eighth rate adjustment for users national unified electrical system.

The situation forced Peruvian families to change their savings habits. Oscar Echevarria, Head of Citizen Services at Osinergmin, made several recommendations to reduce electricity consumption.

Electric shower and refrigerator are the appliances with the highest consumption

“The electric water heater consumes 1500 watts, this equipment must be turned on 20 minutes before the bath to avoid unnecessary use. We must not unnecessarily open the refrigerator, and we must check that the door seals are in good condition. Osinergmin recommends Replace all light bulbs in your home with LEDs, saving you up to 90% compared to incandescent bulbs”, he referred.

Another basic service water, the price of which increased by 3.68% in the first seven months of the year. The National Sanitation Administration (Sunass) recommends lowering the water pressure when we open a pipe and check home connections because just a broken toilet can make us spend 190 soles more a month.

Gabriela Corimaña Jiménez, coordinator of the Sunass Users Office, reminds us that there are devices like saving pipes and toilet cisterns that use 3 liters per flush.

In this way, we can reduce the cost of water bills.

“We should put a 600 milliliter or one liter plastic bottle with water or sand in the toilet bowl, we use a bowl of water to wash vegetables or fruits, and in this way we will avoid opening the pipe during the whole wash; In addition, we can reuse this water for watering plants, which gives it a dual use. For no reason we shouldn’t leave the pipe open When we brush our teeth, it is better to drink a glass of water and avoid running water. Set a goal to take a shower for a maximum of five minutes. If we use the washing machine, then with a full load of laundry,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the first 7 months of 2022, the cost of transportation increased by 9.75% due to changes in fuel prices, which rose by more than 32%. Economist Pedro Grados advised us to spend less on transport, either because we are passengers or because we have a vehicle.

“We need to find a service station where it is cheaper, there is information about this on the net. Secondly, you can learn to drive in a way that does not create sharp accelerations and do not drive in places with heavy traffic, which consumes more gasoline. Thirdly, walk more where you can, and fourthly, try to use public transport,” he recommended.

In the country5 out of 10 Peruvians do not have enough money to pay for services, rent, education and other expenses, according to research Active Peru. Economic expectations are uncertain as while 1m more jobs were created than in 2019, they are all informal; that is, they live by the day and do not have access to a fixed monthly salary.