Senate committee on energy chairman Sherwin Gatchalian urged government agencies to comply with the mandatory energy efficiency and conservation measures due to the tight power supply in the Luzon and Visayas grids this summer.
Gatchalian said only 1,760 offices out of a total of 7,441 or 24 percent have been compliant as of Oct. 27, 2021.
The Government Energy Management Program (GEMP) aims to reduce monthly consumption of electricity and fuel use of government vehicles.
Also covered under the GEMP are government-owned and controlled corporations, government financial institutions, state universities and colleges as well as local government units.
Last month, the Department of Energy (DOE), in its role as chair of the Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee, issued an advisory to government agencies on the mandatory implementation of energy efficiency and conservation programs and the strict observance of the GEMP.
Projections of the DOE’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau show a successful implementation of the GEMP can reduce electricity demand in the Luzon grid by up to 24 megawatts which is equivalent to P840 million cost of establishing a diesel power plant.
Among the practices suggested by the DOE under GEMP are turning off of lights and computers during lunch breaks except in offices where no noon break policy is implemented and after office hours and whenever not in use; adjusting air-conditioning unit thermostat to not lower than 24 degrees Celsius; implementation of eight-hours-straight office operation whenever practical and applicable; activating sleep settings on office equipment; and keeping doors of air-conditioned spaces closed to maintain ambient temperature.
To validate the compliance of government agencies with the advisory, the DOE’s energy audit team conducts random spot checks and issue corresponding energy ratings.
