The Department of Energy said Tuesday it submitted to the Office of the President a proposed administrative order that will further accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency and conservation programs that will result in government savings of almost P7 billion annually.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the measures under the AO would translate into energy savings of 347.42 megawatts.
The proposed AO aims to accelerate the implementation of the Government Energy Management Program and Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee resolutions on switching to energy-efficient lighting and cooling (inverter) for government buildings and facilities apart from energy conservation practices, according to DOE director Patrick Aquino.
Lotilla said the government’s EE policies resulted in savings of P284.93 million as of Dec. 13, 2022.
“This is on the part of the government alone. If the private sector can be more fully mobilized voluntarily and empower itself through efficient energy management, we can achieve more,” he said.
Lotilla said 4,241 designated establishments from the commercial, industrial and transportation sectors were already implementing various projects to reduce energy consumption.
These projects had a total investment worth P4.5 billion or an equivalent of 491.75 gigawatt-hours of energy savings. “We are working to increase these numbers,” Lotilla said. Alena Mae S. Flores
