THE Department of Energy (DOE) is stepping up efforts to urge Filipinos to use energy-efficient lighting.
DOE Luzon field office OIC Efren Balaoing, together with Baguio Representative Bernardo Vergara, launched the National Compact Fluorescent Light distribution in the city by starting the distribution of some 10,000 energy-saving light bulbs.
Balaoing said the project is a nationwide activity of the DOE to distribute around 3.6 million Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs to 187 congressional districts comprising some 57 party-list groups and some 130 regular districts all over the country.
He said the nationwide CFL distribution is sponsored by a grant from the Asian Development Bank, which will contribute to P84 million in savings on electric consumption of beneficiary households nationwide.
The project will also be able to save as much as 6.3 megawatts of electricity in a year with the use of 14-watt light bulbs.
Balaoing said users of CFLs will be able to save 75 percent in terms of energy consumption compared to the use of incandescent bulbs which government is already discouraging.
The DOE also started shifting several public buildings, including line agencies and municipal, City and Provincial Government buildings, into energy-saving CFLS.
Other public buildings such as public markets, barangay halls, multipurpose halls and gyms were also converted to CFLs in the past years.
Vergara said they are concentrating the distribution of CFLs to residents, especially indigents and senior citizens.
Vergara also said that most government projects funded by his Priority Development Assistance Fund have converted to the use of CFLs to help conserve energy and provide efficient lighting.
