THE Department of Energy (DOE) is on track to develop a national energy-efficiency standard for household appliances.
This is after the agency held the second of a series of public consultations that involved the participation of the Department of Trade and Industry and private-sector representatives in culling inputs from experts, resource persons and the public.
The collective inputs would be used to improve the proposed Particular Product Requirements (PPRs) that would help consumers choose wisely in buying household items, such as air conditioners, lighting products and refrigerators, that are energy efficient.
Once finalized, the PPRs will form part of the Implementing Guidelines for the DOE’s Philippine Energy Standards and Labeling Program (PESLP).
The PESLP will also cover television sets, washing machines and even passenger and commercial vehicles.
Through the product standards, consumers will be better informed on the energy consumption and efficiency levels of specified consumer goods.
DOE Energy Research and Testing Laboratory Services director Amelia de Guzman underscored the importance of involving consumers and civil society in the deliberations in order to get the practical viewpoints of the end-users.
She said the PESLP not only benefits consumers by reducing their energy bills but will also help in significantly reducing carbon emissions that contribute to mitigating climate change.
The DOE is also collaborating with the European Union on this.
“The EU has been supporting the Philippine government through the years in reaching its energy efficiency and poverty-reduction targets,” Program Manager for Energy of the EU Delegation in the Philippines Willy Hick said.
The EU has allocated €60 million or P3.3 billion in support of the Philippine government’s 100-percent rural-electrification target by 2022.
“European funding can never work without a strong partner,” Hick added during the Philippines’s and EU’s Access to Sustainable Energy Program (ASEP) Meet.
Aside from efficiency, the ASEP also advocates clean energy by providing grants to boost rural- household electrification using clean-energy sources.
The first public consultation was held on May 24.
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