GUYANA’S demand for electricity is climbing fast, and most of that strain lands in the same two hours every evening.
The good news, according to a new public education campaign from Guyana Power & Light (GPL), is that the fix doesn’t require sacrifice or expensive upgrades, but rather just a few small, painless changes around the house.
Here’s what GPL wants every customer to know:
TURN YOUR AC UP JUST ONE DEGREE
It sounds too simple to matter, but it does. Every single degree you raise your air conditioner’s thermostat cuts its energy use by about 5%. Push it from a chilly 18°C up to a more moderate 24°C, and you’re looking at roughly 30% less energy, with barely any difference in how comfortable the room feels.
GPL’s recommendation: set your AC to 23–24°C. You’ll barely notice the change in temperature, but you will notice a smaller bill.
CHOOSE AN INVERTER MODEL AC
Not all air conditioners use power the same way. A standard, fixed-speed AC works like an on/off switch, the compressor blasts at full power, shuts off, then kicks back on again, over and over.
An inverter AC is smarter: it continuously adjusts the compressor’s speed to match what the room actually needs.
The result is about 30% less electricity used for the same cooling, plus a steadier temperature and quieter operation. If you’re installing a new unit or replacing an old one, an inverter AC is the better long-term investment, and it still works best paired with that 23–24°C setting.
WATCH THE CLOCK
Electricity demand isn’t steady throughout the day, it rises and falls, and in Guyana it consistently peaks between 7 pm and 9 pm, when homes across the country are cooking, running ACs, and turning on lights all at once.
GPL’s data shows demand spiking to around
241 megawatts around 7:30 pm most evenings.
Easing up on electricity use during that two-hour window, delaying laundry, running fewer appliances at once, or simply being mindful, helps keep the grid stable and means a more reliable supply for everyone, not just your own household.
SWAP OLD BULBS FOR LEDS
Lighting is one of the easiest wins in the whole house. An LED bulb produces the same brightness as an old-fashioned incandescent bulb while using about 80% less electricity.
For comparison, halogen bulbs only save about 30%, and CFLs about 75%, but LEDs are the clear winner.
LEDs also last roughly 15 times longer than incandescent bulbs, so it’s a change you make once and benefit from for years, a smaller bill on every single statement afterward.
THE BOTTOM LINE
None of these changes ask you to give up comfort or convenience. A slightly higher thermostat setting, a smarter AC when it’s time to upgrade, a bit of awareness during the evening peak, and a one-time bulb swap; together, these small habits add up to real savings for your household and a more stable grid for the country.
As GPL puts it: “the grid is ours, and small, shared changes make a big difference.”
