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Karnot Engineering Blog

Practical guides, technical deep-dives, and energy efficiency insights for engineers, facility managers, and energy auditors.

Energy Economics

The 15-minute rule that re-rates your entire Meralco bill

Your demand charge isn't based on monthly kWh. It's set by the single biggest 15-minute spike of the month — one motor start can re-rate the whole month. Stuart Cox on what almost no commercial customer in PH knows about their own bill.

19 May 2026 6 min read Stuart Cox
Food Manufacturing

Why bakeries pay for the same kilowatt twice

A commercial bakery heats the proofer and cools the bread at the same time. Today most plants pay for both jobs twice — a chiller dumps usable heat, an electric heater buys it back. The Karnot SHC architecture closes the loop. Combined COP 6–8.

19 May 2026 9 min read Stuart Cox
Energy Economics

The bill you didn't ask for: ₱85 of every ₱100 is reachable

A Filipino financial planner broke her Meralco bill down and got 19 million views. The engineering-honest version for a commercial bill: ₱85 reachable, ₱12 floor. Stuart Cox on what each line item costs and which ones move.

20 May 2026 7 min read Stuart Cox
Compliance

The refrigerant in your chiller is in your bloodstream. And it never leaves.

Most HFC refrigerants are PFAS — forever chemicals engineered to never break down. The EU is banning ~10,000 of them. PH always follows EU chemical regulation 6–8 years behind. Stuart Cox on the board-level liability question your CFO isn't asking yet.

22 May 2026 6 min read Stuart Cox
Energy Systems

For every kWh of useful work, the Philippines burns 2.4 kWh of fuel

The Philippines wastes 1,700 petajoules of energy every year — more than twice the useful output. The waste is the inheritance of an energy system built when the only way to release thermal energy was to set something on fire. Stuart Cox on the only way out.

23 May 2026 6 min read Stuart Cox
Energy Policy

24 Months to 2028: How the Philippine Energy Crisis Becomes a Political Crisis

The next Filipino voter walks into a polling booth on 8 May 2028 after two years of diesel above ₱100/L, LPG rationed, and brownouts beginning. Stuart Cox on the three bills that define the 20th Congress.

18 May 2026 8 min read Stuart Cox
Industrial Energy

The 21-Mile Problem: Why Your CFO Is About to Revisit Every Fuel-Burning Asset on Your Site

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has changed the payback math on industrial heat pumps. Retrofits that paid back in 30 months now pay back in 8–12. Here’s the next-90-days playbook for facility managers.

18 May 2026 7 min read Stuart Cox
Energy Efficiency

Heating Hot Water With a Steam Boiler Is a Terrible Waste of Energy

A steam boiler is the most expensive way to make 70 °C water. Adding a Karnot iHEAT R290 heat pump preheater cuts diesel use by 25% and pays back in under 18 months. Free calculator and Sankey tool inside.

4 May 2026 10 min read Boiler Retrofit
Engineering Guide

Pinch Analysis Made Simple: Where Heat Pumps Save the Most

No jargon. No PhD required. Learn how pinch analysis finds the exact minimum heating and cooling your process needs — and where a Karnot Heat Pump saves the most money.

2 April 2026 12 min read Process Integration
Energy Efficiency

Your Steam Boiler Is Not 80% Efficient — The Real Number Might Shock You

Philippine factories are losing millions of pesos in hidden steam losses. Here is exactly where your energy goes — and what modern heat pump technology does instead.

3 April 2026 10 min read Steam Systems
Cold Chain

Your Cold Store Is Burning 25-35% of Revenue on Electricity

Three hidden problems — defrost waste, refrigerant leaks, and non-condensable gases — are costing Philippine cold stores millions of pesos. Here is where the money goes.

4 April 2026 12 min read Cold Chain
Industrial Decarbonisation

Your Boiler Is Burning Money: CO2 Heat Pumps + MVR Cut Steam Costs 90%

Combining Karnot iHEAT CO2 heat pumps with Piller MVR turbo-compressors replaces fuel-fired boilers entirely — system COP of 10-15+ on electricity alone.

4 April 2026 14 min read Steam Electrification
Energy Efficiency

Your Hot Water System Is Costing You 4x Too Much

Philippine hotels, hospitals, and food factories are paying ₱12-16 per kWh of hot water. A heat pump delivers the same kWh for ₱2.50-3.00. Here are the numbers.

5 April 2026 12 min read Energy Efficiency
Industrial Climate

The humidity excursion you didn't see. The product you can no longer ship.

Standard split AC physically cannot hold a tropical warehouse at 22°C / 60% RH. The SHR mismatch story, the post-harvest loss it causes across tobacco / food / grain storage, and the AHU + iSTOR + R290 + solar architecture that fixes it.

10 May 2026 10 min read Industrial Climate Control
Hotel Energy

You already have heat pumps. The gas inside is the problem.

R410A is on a phasedown clock under DENR DAO 2021-31. Salt air is destroying coastal coils. BOI incentives may apply. Here's the case for R290 replacement now, on capex.

10 May 2026 8 min read Hotel Energy
Hotel Energy

The 10°C Penalty: Why Philippine Hotels Are Bleeding OPEX on Hot Water

Legacy heat pumps top out at 55°C. Legionella safety requires 65°C. That gap costs hundreds of thousands of pesos per year in electric backup.

5 April 2026 14 min read Hotel Energy
Energy Strategy

Breaking the Energy Trilemma: How the Philippines Can Secure Its Energy Future

S&P, ADB, and the World Bank have all downgraded the Philippines. The energy trilemma is breaking apart. Here is how natural refrigerant technology can rebuild it.

11 April 2026 12 min read Energy Strategy
Energy Crisis

PHP 170 Per Litre Diesel: What the Energy Emergency Means for Your Business

EO 110 declared a national energy emergency. Diesel heading to ₱170/L. Here is what facility managers and business owners need to do now.

5 April 2026 10 min read Energy Crisis

More articles coming soon

Guides on Scope 1/2/3 emissions, SEC PFRS S2 compliance, solar+heat pump integration, and more.