DOE, VECO to start trading compact fluorescent lamps

CEBU, Philippines - The Visayan Electric Company and the Department of Energy will sign a Memorandum of Agreement tomorrow to formalize a partnership in promoting energy efficiency.

The MOA signing is scheduled at 10am tomorrow at the VECO Building wherein DOE will be turning over 250,000 compact fluorescent lamps to VECO for distribution in Cebu City. 

After the MOA signing, VECO will announce the distribution centers where household owners can exchange their incandescent bulbs to CFLs. Each household can trade a maximum of six IBs for six CFLs, as long as the IBs surrendered are in good condition.

DOE is urging power consumers to change their incandescent bulbs to CFL because the latter is reportedly more energy efficient, which means, the consumer can save more by paying less for monthly electric bills.

Incandescent bulbs generate 80 percent more heat than CFLs that generate lesser heat, but produces more light.

Allan Bacudo, science research specialist of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Division of DOE, said the department targets to distribute 13 million CFL’s throughout the country until early 2011.

Bacudo recently spoke to barangay captains of Cebu City during a consultative meeting on Clean Development Mechanism and Climate Change wherein he highlighted the importance of energy saving.

The CFL distribution falls under the enhancing energy efficiency and conservation component of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Program, as the energy sectors agenda focuses on attaining a sustainable 60 percent energy self-sufficiency level beyond 2010.

PEEP has four components, including CFL distribution; accelerating the exploration, development and utilization of indigenous energy resources;) intensifying renewable energy resource development; and increasing the use of alternative fuels while the continuing reforms in the power sector, as well as the downstream oil and gas industries, will pave the way in realizing a globally competitive Philippine energy sector

Apart from its counterpart funding, the national government also took a US $31M loan from the Asian Development Bank to implement its energy independence agenda. – Johanna T. Natavio/JMO  (FREEMAN NEWS)