Five Ways Meralco is Evolving as a Company with MTECH

Meralco Chief Technology Advisor Gavin Barfield delivering the opening remarks for MTECH 2018.

They are more than a power utility company these days

Meralco has been serving Filipinos for over a century already. While the main focus of their business involves power distribution, the legacy company needed to evolve to adapt to the changing times. Which is why when Meralco Chief Technology Adviser Gavin Barfield was appointed in 2014, he knew that Meralco has to wake up to reality: with the advent of alternative energy like solar power, the company must find ways to utilize these developments.

This resulted in the birth of MTECH—short for Meralco Technology and Innovation Summit in 2015. Now on its fourth year, MTECH aims to introduce disruptive tech—some of which will shape the future of Meralco.

Barfield toured us around during the opening day of MTECH 2018 and shared some of his insights on how they are applying these disruptive technologies to Meralco’s business.

By introducing a Smart City system for better services

Since Meralco has been servicing several LGUs, they intend to utilize their scope and knowledge through a Smart City system. Consisting of a master dashboard and several Internet of Things (IoT) products, Meralco’s concept lets city employees and workers monitor anything from street lights, air quality, parking spaces, to CCTV cameras.

To make the concept possible, Meralco will be utilizing both mesh and fiber networks. Currently, they are doing a dry run of the Smart City system within the Meralco compound in Pasig, and they intend to offer this service to LGUs in the future.

Through a Meralco mobile app for improved customer interaction

Aside from going for paperless billing, Meralco’s mobile app lets you know more about your account. The current iteration of the app lets you monitor your monthly consumption, and let you pay your bills using the app itself.

Barfield said that future iterations of the app will let users monitor their daily consumption, along with a breakdown of which appliances is consuming the most power.

By utilizing chatbots for streamlining services and queries

With brands utilizing chatbots for a variety of purposes, Meralco is joining the trend as well through TRACI and HiRo. The former is dedicated for those applying to Meralco, while the latter is an internal client that aims to help Meralco employees with their HR needs.

Through the use of AI and machine learning, Meralco aims to develop both chatbots as a backbone to another chatbot for consumers. Barfield shared that this upcoming chatbot will respond to consumers’ queries such as their current power consumption, when they have to settle their bills, and upcoming power interruptions.

By advocating for electric cars

Through subsidiary eSakay, Meralco aims to utilize its knowledge in power utilities through implementing a network of electric vehicles around the Metro. Currently, it has electric vehicles in Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle-Canlubang, and at the Meralco compound in Pasig, and aims to expand its services to other places.

Part of its plan to encourage electric vehicles includes partnering with gasoline stations and malls for the installation of fast charging stations.

By expanding its net metering program

While Meralco has been doing solar net metering for a while, the power utility company is looking to the same idea with hybrid vehicles as well. Barfield explains that since most consumers do not use the entire battery supply carried by their hybrid vehicles, they can opt to sell their excess power to Meralco. Like solar net metering, this works two ways: consumers earn with their excess power, and Meralco can utilize that excess power to distribute it to those who need it the most.

MTECH 2018 is ongoing until November 21 at the Meralco Lopez Building. Make sure to visit their website for the schedules of the talks.