Pinoys urged to save energy ‘habitually’

DEPARTMENT of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Lorraine Ayson said Friday that energy conservation should be “a way of life” for Filipinos following the recent power shortage crisis of the country.

Ayson said during the Earth Hour launching, the DOE has been closely coordinating with other government agencies to use compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) in government offices to lessen the consumption of energy.
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CFLs is a type of fluorescent lamp that uses less power and have a longer rated life compared to the commonly used fluorescent lights.

Aside from the use of CFLs in government agencies, the DOE is also advising other agencies to put off their air-conditioning units in their offices as part of the mitigating efforts in combating the power crisis.

This would lessen the power consumption in offices, which could save almost two hours from the usual eight-hour usage in work, she said.

“We are optimistic we can at least reduce 10 percent of our power consumption not only in the energy sector but also in the fuel sector,” DOE Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan added.

Marasigan said they are advocating for a more efficient conservation of energy efforts. A mandate has been released to all government offices to only use power-saving appliances and equipment, he said.

The agency is looking to an almost 60 percent decrease in the costs of power consumed with the use of fuel and energy efficient appliances.

As part of their Philippine Energy Efficiency project, the energy department distributed some 30 million CFLs to local government units and agencies.

DOE also conducted energy conservation drives in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

Meanwhile, the DOE is calling the public to join this year’s Earth Hour slated on March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 in the evening, the country’s third year participation of this worldwide initiative to counter climate change.