Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, author of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, rallied on the private sector to continue investing in technology including in lighting, to accelerate compliance to the the law, not just on the industrial and commercial levels but more so on the household level.
“The household is still untapped when it comes to energy efficiency. We need to increase the penetration of energy efficiency and conservation at the household level using the most latest technology and the most smart technologies,” Gatchalian said in a presentation at the launch of The Flip the Green Switch by Signify Philippines in Makati City last March 15.
Gatchalian said innovators need to demonstrate actual savings to consumers of switching to energy efficient appliances.
“Savings to consumers to energy efficiency measures must be publicly and easily available.
Well-informed consumers often make better decisions,” he told the forum.
Gatchalian said one can save P1,500 per year by just using an LED light, or P10,000 for the entire lifetime of an energy-efficient refrigerator.
“The Philippines is a very budget- conscious market, we have to educate (consumers) that energy efficiency may be expensive upfront but if we look at the total lifecycle (of an appliance), it’s cheaper than the traditional technologies,” he said.
Raghuraman Chandrasekhar, country leader, Professional Business at Signify Philippines, said by switching to energy-efficient LED lighting, the Philippines has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to three million tons.
“Green Switch offers one of the fastest and easiest paths to a greener and smarter future,” he added.
According to Gatchalian, one of the most underutilized technology in the country is net metering system.
He lamented the fact that very few households have solar rooftops.
“Less than 1 percent of our total household in the Philippines has net metering. And that’s a technology available in our country,” he said.
Gatchalian said one of the problems faced by households is bureaucracy in applying for net metering.
“It needs about three to six months to get all the permits, from the electrician’s permits all the way through local government permits. So we need to fix that and I plan to look at that so that net metering can be as convenient as applying for new power,” he said.
Signify said one of the first, and quick steps towards compliance and reducing energy consumption is to replace conventional lighting with LED and connected technology lamps.
This can be done both indoors and outdoors and is a relatively simple process that does not require a great deal of disruption to daily operations.
At the event, Signify Philippines highlighted the importance of sustainable lighting as an affordable, scalable system.
This initiative, it said, supports national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030, and the urgent implementation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act by promoting energy efficient practices among both public and private sectors.
