DOE widens labeling program for consumer products

By MYRNA M. VELASCO

The Department of Energy (DOE) has widened the labeling program it has been enforcing on consumer-products to include information and communication technology (ICT) sector, cooking/food processing, grooming and personal care as well as the sub-segments of cooling, heating and ventilating products.

According to the energy department, these products will already be enfolded into the Philippine Energy Labeling Program (PELP), so that there is a way for the government to gauge the efficiency of their energy performance.

The broadened energy labeling policy, the department noted, will “transform the market and encourage the shift in consumer behavior towards using energy-efficient products and technologies by empowering them through the information displayed on the labels at points of sale.”

Traditionally, the coverage of the PELP had been those on air conditioners, refrigeration systems, television sets as well as the various lighting products being made accessible to consumers via market networks – including self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), linear fluorescent lamps (LFL), or double-capped fluorescent lamps (DFL), single-capped fluorescent lamps (SFL), lamp ballasts and light emitting diode (LED) lamps.

Given the never-ending strained power supply of the country, energy efficiency and conservation would be a key measure that the government can latch onto to spare the bigger constituency of consumers from the affliction of rotational power service interruptions.

The rollout of energy efficient products will shave off energy demand in the system; and will likewise pare warranted investments for additional power capacities.

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla emphasized that conservation and efficient utilization of energy would be “among the major strategies of the government to realize energy self-sufficiency and reduce environmental impacts of energy generation and utilization.”

The wider core of products integrated into the energy labeling program had been institutionalized via DOE Circular No. 2022-11-0035 that was issued as early as November 21 last year, but this has just been announced this week for enforcement.

Relative to that policy, the DOE stated that “all importers, manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and retailers of ECPs (energy-consuming products) with or without a prescribed minimum energy performance products (MEPP) requirement are now required to bear the energy label that specifies the energy efficiency rating of the product model.”

As explained, MEPP is a minimum energy performance being prescribed by the DOE for specific energy-consuming products.

Part of the policy is the assignment of ‘star ratings’ on the label of the product that corresponds to its energy performance – with five-star rating being the highest; and one star is the lowest.

In Lotilla’s view, the energy labeling of products will “lead to the empowerment of consumers in choosing energy-efficient products at the point of sale, the realization of energy savings and reduction of energy bills, elimination of inefficient products in the market, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”

On the part of the covered establishments, non-compliance or the removal, defacing and alteration of the energy labels will be meted with fines and penalties, as prescribed under Republic Act 11285 or the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.