With today's busy lifestyles, washing clothes can be time-consuming. Luckily, laundromats can now be found everywhere, just like ExpressWash Laundry Center.

Founded in 2015 as a response to the growing demand for self-service laundromats, ExpressWash was able to significantly expand in just a few years as it continued to offer affordable and quality laundry services for people on the go. ExpressWash Co-founder & President Danilo de Guzman Jr. reveals that their exponential growth was made easier through a partnership with Meralco Biz.

Meralco Biz  is a segment dedicated to helping small and medium enterprises turn their vision into reality through end-to-end energy solutions. In de Guzman's case, he considers Meralco's Automatic Debit Arrangement (ADA)  and Meralco Online essential to his operations' efficiency.

"With our accounts enrolled to ADA, we avoided the hassle of unnecessary disconnections," he points out. "Instead of worrying about missing monthly payments, stopping operations, and losing sales, it allowed us to focus on continuously running our business."

No more missed payments

ExpressWash's collaboration with Meralco started when de Guzman launched his first few branches in 2015, requiring the energization of each branch to begin operations and take off. Meralco sent a dedicated Biz Partner Manager (BPM) to help address his energy-related concerns, including their ability to track and manage electricity bills promptly — a feat that became more challenging as the number of ExpressWash branches grew.

"Meralco introduced us to the Automatic Debit Arrangement (ADA), which addressed one of my biggest pain points in the early days — service disconnection," he recalls. "It wasn't easy to keep track of all our electricity bills, especially when we expanded operations; most bills were sent to the stores and not in our main office, and some got lost in transit, sometimes resulting in unpaid bills and disconnections."

He admits that ADA enabled him to focus more on running the business, especially now that he's no longer worried about settling his bills on time.

Easy online bill tracking

ExpressWash has also been enjoying the benefits of being enrolled in Meralco Online, which allows them to easily monitor and manage the bills of all their branches — a luxury that proved to be even more vital when lockdown protocols were in full swing and transactions at Meralco business centers were limited.

"We have many branches across Metro Manila and it's very hard to manage them all. But with Meralco Online, we are able to see our bills and monitor them from our office." This resulted in ExpressWash improving its operational efficiency, avoiding unnecessary expenses caused by unmanaged bills.

Going the extra mile

In line with his plans to open new stores in locations that prohibit the use of gas-operated dryers, de Guzman wanted to know the cost of shifting to electric dryers. Through consultations with his dedicated BPM and in collaboration with Meralco Power Lab, they conducted a study to identify the cost of operating electric dryers.

Meralco Power Lab is a multi-purpose facility that tests, validates, and compares the latest appliances and technologies to educate customers on electricity usage and efficient energy management. The study on electric dryers was conducted with the Department of Energy to determine and compare the energy consumption and energy efficiency of electric and
gas-operated laundromat dryers. The results will enable ExpressWash to make informed decisions when buying dryers for their new branches and guide them on the pricing of their services.

Test results show that electric dryers are 1.1x more energy efficient than gas dryers. It is also cost-efficient, safer to use, and easier to operate.

"I'm always looking for ways to do things more efficiently for the business. The electric dryer study results will help us operate better and generate more savings."

De Guzman considers his decision to partner with Meralco Biz one of his best business decisions. And as ExpressWash continues to expand, he is confident that he can rely on Meralco to go the extra mile every time and provide support every step of the way.

"Here at Meralco Biz, we empower our partners to optimize their operations, enhance efficiency, and unlock new growth opportunities.
I proudly say that the confidence that we were able to give ExpressWash is a result of the powerful combination of our reliable Biz Partner Managers and our comprehensive suite of services and solutions," says Joy P. Mendoza, AVP & Head of Meralco Biz.

For those interested in letting Meralco Biz power a brighter tomorrow for their business, email biz@meralco.com.ph or call its business hotline at 16210 for a FREE Power Consult.