Bonifacio Gas wins special award

Bonifacio Gas Corp. (BGC), the country’s only piped-in gas provider, bagged a special award for using an energy efficient technology that enabled a company to save energy cost by as much as 58 percent.

The award was given during the recent National Energy Week organized by the Department of Energy and the Energy Management Association of the Philippines (ENMAP).

BGC won the award for its gas fired absorption technology for the air-conditioning requirements of the entire Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. (FBDC) office building E in partnership with the Philippine Green Building/Green Resorts Project.

The gas absorption technology, which has lower operating and maintenance cost compared to the traditional air-conditioning system that uses electricity, supported FBDC’s vision of building the first environment-friendly global city in the country, the Bonifacio Global City.

The International Institute of Energy Conservation (IIEC), a non-government organization, reported that the BGC technology applied to the FBDC building E resulted in energy cost savings of about 58 percent over a 10-month period.

According to BGC general manager Eric Piedad their technology is cost efficient because it does not need the electrical power supplies normally required by electric air conditioners.

Also the gas absorption technology for air-conditioning system does not need compressors.

"All these combined make for an extremely energy-efficient air-conditioning solution," Piedad said.

BGC was also cited for its contribution to environment protection and preservation.

"Unlike electric air conditioners, the gas absorption system does not use HCFC’s and CFC’s which are both known to cause depletion of ozone layer, because it utilizes water as refrigerant and lithium bromide as the absorbent," Piedad pointed out.

Water and lithium bromide are safe, non-polluting and therefore does not pose any danger to the environment, Piedad stressed.

BGC promoted this environment-friendly technology when it was invited by the IIEC to be of the main speakers at their forum on gas absorption technology.

BGC marketing head Gary Puno addressed the benefits of the system history and its acceptance in countries where electrical power rates are much higher than gas prices.