JONG CADION
Chief of reporters
The National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) said it has ordered a corporate-wide support to the national government’s initiatives in addressing the mounting cost of fuel and energy by intensifying its energy conservation program.
TransCo information officer Betty Martinez said this as she provided this paper with a copy of President Gloria Arroyo’s Administrative Order 228 entitled “Addressing the Rising Cost of Energy.”
AO 228, which was released June 2, 2008, mandates all agencies to reduce transport fuel consumption in liters by ten percent starting June 2008 and implement the replacement of all incandescent bulbs.
It likewise details all government buildings to turn off air conditioners every 4:30 in the afternoon, except those with 24-hour work and that all agencies shall install and or adopt other energy saving technology, with the help of the Department of Energy and or the Department of Science and Technology.
The President also ordered to convert twenty percent of all government vehicles in major cities to liquid petroleum gas by September this year
Martinez added that TransCo will lead in the energy conservation and energy utilization measures aimed at further reducing the corporation’s energy and fuel consumption.
By this she meant that TransCo’s Power System Reliability Group (PSRG) was the department designated to lead the program.
“The ten percent reduction in both fuel and electricity use is also our aim,” Gregorio Cayetano, head of TransCo’s enercon program, said.
“We require all departments which use vehicles to submit a monthly summary of mileage and fuel consumption report. All offices have been directed to synchronize their official travel itineraries to minimize the frequency and duration of official trips,” Cayetano added.
To date, TransCo has started the implementation of energy conservation measures related to lighting systems and use of office equipment and appliances.
As early as August 2005, TransCo has already replaced all its incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and 32-watt fluorescent lamps fitted with electronic ballasts.
Operating hours of the air conditioning systems in all Transco offices nationwide were further reduced, 30 minutes earlier than the shut-off time prescribed under AO No. 228.
Stand-alone air conditioning units, on the other hand, operate on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on lunch breaks, the units are switched to fan mode.
Lights in specific works areas now observe switch offs, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. daily, and only specific areas where work is being done remain lighted or unless official work is being done during that period.
As to the adoption of energy-saving measures, Transco plans to convert all its service vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas or have these installed with fuel-saving devices.
In the past energy efficiency audit conducted by DOE, TransCo got a score of 95 percent, placing it among the top five government agencies with a 5-Star Rating, Cayetano concluded.
To recall, the government initiated a program in 1997 which aims to reduce national energy use by 10 percent.
The program included energy-saving guidelines, audits, training of building managers, and demonstration of new technologies.
In December 2000, the DOE officially launched the national energy-saving program called “Enercon,” which restated the requirement for all government agencies to reduce their electricity and fuel consumption by at least 10 percent.
Again in October 2004, the government initiated the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP), which aims to reduce government energy consumption by 10 percent through the implementation of energy efficiency and conservation measures in government facilities for a minimum three-year period, beginning in January 2005.
It was also in the same year that Arroyo first rallied all sectors to cooperate in the government’s energy conservation program to control the impact of oil price rise.
In another press release obtained by MINDANAO MONITOR, it said that the DOE has launched its own “SWITCH” campaign, July 16, to heighten energy saving consciousness.
“SWITCH” is a massive social mobilization campaign which involves fundamental changes in lifestyle, behavior or standard practices of Filipinos, Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes said.
He added the campaign, which will be implemented in the next six months will involve various phases that will rally communities and specific sectors around specific calls to action starting a switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs and other energy-efficient lighting technologies.
“This simple switch carries tremendous strategic wallop. It is estimated that replacing a million 60-watt incandescent bulbs with equivalent 13-watt CFLs would be equivalent to savings of at least 50 MW in equivalent power generation,” said Reyes.
Reyes said the public will also be encouraged to switch to more energy-efficient appliances and practices in homes and workplaces later.
Reyes declared: “This is a bold recognition that Filipinos are willing to come together and work collectively towards the shared goal of promoting the broader interest of society.”
Meanwhile, the President has said that by August the government should have allocated about P500-million for the program to replace incandescent with CFLs as another measure to cut down on energy cost.
Along with this is the engine conversion program, with a P1-billion loan program to convert gas and diesel-fed jeepneys and other public utility vehicles to compressed natural gas, LPG or biodiesel-fed vehicles.