Inside the Meralco Smart Home, where LG appliances meet metering, solar credits and time-based pricing
An air conditioner’s temperature setting tells you how cool you want the room. It tells you little about how much electricity the whole house uses or whether running another appliance later could change what you pay.
At the November 5, 2026 launch of the Meralco Smart Home, LG Electronics Philippines and Meralco looked at both sides of that equation.
The demonstration facility places LG appliances for cooling, refrigeration, laundry, cooking, garment care and entertainment in a residential setting. LG frames its approach as Affectionate Intelligence, its term for AI designed around how people use appliances in everyday life. Meralco’s contribution addresses a different set of decisions: how customers track consumption, when they draw power and, for eligible solar households, what happens when power flows back to the grid.
Four energy tools, four different jobs
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) gives customers better visibility into electricity consumption. That addresses a basic problem with managing household demand: knowing how much power the home is using.
Peak/Off-Peak pricing makes timing relevant to electricity costs. For a customer on that pricing option, deciding when to run a washer/dryer means considering both the household schedule and the applicable pricing period.
Net Metering applies to eligible customers with solar installations. When their systems produce excess electricity and export it to the grid, customers can receive credits for that exported power.
Bright Ideas is Meralco’s energy education platform. Its role is to help customers understand their consumption and make decisions about electricity use.
Putting the appliances to work
Two demonstrations gave visitors different ways to explore the setup. A Day in the Life in the Smart Home followed household routines from waking up to leaving for work, preparing dinner and winding down with entertainment. The Smart Home After Dark used an escape-room format, with energy-related clues involving LG air conditioners, refrigerators, washer/dryers, microwave ovens, the LG Styler and televisions.
“Technology becomes truly meaningful when it makes everyday life easier and gives people greater control over their homes,” said Nakhyun Seong, managing director of LG Electronics Philippines Inc.
The laundry example captures the practical value of putting an appliance maker and an electricity provider in the same room. How a family uses its washer/dryer is one decision. Whether the hour it runs affects the bill depends on the household’s electricity pricing. The Meralco Smart Home gives visitors a way to examine both.