LAOAG CITY, Oct. 19 – State-run schools and hospitals in Northern and Central Luzon stand to generate an annual savings of P9.03 million once the lighting retrofit project of the Department of Energy is completed.
The retrofitting project involves the replacement of existing 40 watt-fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with energy efficient 28 watt-lamps and electronic ballasts.
The DOE and heads of various state colleges and hospitals signed an agreement last October 9 for the lighting conversion of government structures. After the signing, installation of energy efficient bulbs will begin.
The DOE’s Philippine Energy Efficient Project (PEEP) has picked 20 government buildings in Northern and Central Luzon as recipients of the lighting retrofit as part of its nationwide campaign for energy efficient lighting technology.
On top of generating millions of pesos in savings or an equivalent of 902,858.40 kwh, the program also translates to greenhouse gas reduction of 487.54 tCO2 per year.
Artemio Habitan, DOE’s program implementor, said 100 government buildings were targeted for lighting conversion out of the more than 175 government agencies that were surveyed for the program.
“We have prioritized state schools and universities including hospitals because they serve a bigger clientele and their energy consumption is 24/7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week),” he said.
Habitan said local government units will be accommodated in the future once the retrofitting of priority agencies is completed.
He said only Cebu City has so far qualified for the energy efficiency program.
The DOE has already signed similar agreements with government units in Visayas and Mindanao and the National Capital Region.
The energy efficient project was supported by a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank amounting to US $31.1 million.
It is meant to reduce electricity demand using energy efficient lighting project, adoption of energy saving measures and improvement of equipment testing facilities. (PIA 1 Ilocos Norte)
