MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) is coming out with energy efficiency and conservation standards by the end of the month to help reduce carbon emissions of the country.
“We’re almost done in updating the Philippine Energy Standards and Labeling Program (PESLP), which would cover a wider range of appliances and lighting systems and include even light duty motor vehicles,” DOE OIC-Assistant Secretary Patrick Aquino said.
He said comments and suggestions raised during the public consultations held in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao last February were given substantial weight in the finalization of the PESLP to make the policy more responsive to the needs of all stakeholders.
The PESLP initially covers room air-conditioners, split-type aircons, refrigerators with 5 to 8 cubic feet storage capacity, and three types of fluorescent lamp (CFL, linear and circular) and electronic ballasts.
The DOE said this is in line with the DOE’s “energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C)” program as a major aspect in cutting down the country’s carbon emissions and in the attainment of the country’s aspirational target to reduce energy intensity by 45 percent by 2035.
However, the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance Inc. (PE2) is appealing to the DOE to come out with a stronger energy efficiency policy to accelerate the country’s attainment of a low carbon energy sector.
The group, composed of 27 companies, is seeking for the expansion of the coverage of the proposed DOE energy efficiency circular to include obligations of medium and large energy consumers.
“We commend the DOE for coming out with the circular as this is a step in the right direction. However, we must broaden the coverage of the circular if we want to achieve our 2030 energy intensity and emission reduction targets,” PE2 president Alexander Ablaza said.
“Energy efficiency is the fastest, most cost-effective means to create energy supply buffers and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ablaza, who is an energy efficiency practitioner with Asia-wide experience.
The Philippines has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 70 percent by 2030 relative to its businesses-as-usual scenario of 2000 to 2030 set by the Climate Change Commission.