BAGUIO CITY – The energy department in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) cascaded to local governments in Northern Luzon the importance of energy efficiency efforts through the conduct of a 3-day Seminar-Workshop on Mainstreaming and Integrating Energy Efficiency at the Local government Units.
The Baguio leg of the activity is the fourth for this year after the conduct of similar equally successful undertakings were held in Cebu City, Davao City, and in Batangas City.
Undersecretary Benito Ranque said the campaign of the energy department is to recognize the relevance of the local governments to help maintain energy security of the country through energy efficiency and conservation through policy development implementation, but above all, is to be able to ensure the welfare and protection of the energy consumers, especially the marginalized sector of the society.
He underscored the objectives of the LGU seminar on energy efficiency include to be able to recognize the value of integrating and mainstreaming energy efficiency and conservation in all energy-demand sectors and the LGUs administered jurisdiction; identify energy efficiency conservation programs, projects, and activities for the judicious and efficient use of energy; and be able to prepare appropriate action plan and other related energy efficiency policy proposal or local ordinances.
Under the agency’s government energy management program, all national government agencies, state colleges and universities, government- owned and controlled corporations, government hospitals, government financial institutions, military and other government facilities are required to reduce electricity and transport fuel consumption based on 2004 and 2005 average consumptions, respectively in compliance with Administrative Orders 110 as amended.
Ranque claimed from 2010-2017, the energy and budget departments have issued certificate of savings to 256 government offices amounting to P533 million with an equivalent energy savings of 67 gigawatt-hour or a differed power plant capacity equivalent capacity equivalent to 63 gigawatt or a virtual power plant which never been put up and invested on which amounts to about $220.5 million.
According to him, the energy saving helped ensure ample capacity reserve of power line grid, most especially during summer months of the year when cooling requirement is so high, thus, help mitigate the occurrence of possible power outages.
The DOE official claimed the energy efficiency information and communication campaign is part of a much bigger umbrella of the agency’s nationwide massive information campaign which is under the banner of the E-Power Mo which is a government campaign drive to bring proper and relevant information on energy matters most especially to public consumers protection for the welfare of energy using consumers that is a paramount concern of the energy department largely a well-informed energy consumers have the ability to become wiser energy users.
The program aims to inform people on the fast evolving developments on the energy sector, proper energy utilization, energy resiliency and best practices and the DOE aggressively implements the strategic energy information, education and communication campaign so that ordinary Filipinos would be encouraged to use energy efficient devices. By Dexter A. See
