BRUSSELS, Belgium – The energy efficiency playbook of the Philippines is no longer just a local script, but it is a game plan already catching global attention, with the Department of Energy (DOE) flexing to the world the execution of policies that warranted the country’s initial gains on its energy-saving reform packages.

At a Ministerial roundtable during the 10th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency jointly hosted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission (EC), Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella disclosed that the energy efficiency initiatives of the country already logged savings equivalent to 33 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity and 588,000 liters of fuel.

That in turn, according to the Philippine energy official, resulted in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions avoidance of 26 kilotonnes.

To pull off those energy savings, Fuentebella shared that more than $146 million of investments had been pumped into well-calculated upgrades -- including those on efficient lighting, renewable energy installations as well as retrofit of equipment.

The DOE official, nevertheless, acknowledged that the country’s achievement on the energy efficiency sphere is still just the tip of a colossal iceberg if compared to the full potential of the country on the whole chain of enforcement of energy efficiency ventures – with industrial efficiency across businesses breaking through as the next major battlefield the Philippines would be unleashing on its energy savings grip.

“In the private sector, energy-intensive businesses are now required to report energy use and invest in efficiency,” he stressed, although he qualified that this is still at starting point.

Fuentebella admitted, though, that the country’s path to energy efficiency is not that easy, with several stubborn roadblocks still tripping up the country’s chase for targeted cost savings as well as reduction in energy usage.

“We face several barriers -- limited technical expertise and funding at the local level, outdated infrastructure, and low public awareness of the long-term benefits of energy efficiency,” he noted.

Fuentebella similarly emphasized that on the domain of many business owners, they still cling to the perception that weaving energy efficiency across the chain of their operations is “risky or costly.”

Beyond driving wins in the private sector, the energy official said there would also be core focus on shaving energy usage within government agencies through the institutionalized Government Energy Management Program (GEMP) -- which will not only cover national government agencies, state-run corporations as well as colleges and universities, but critically, the energy-hungry frontline of local government units (LGUs).

“We are implementing the LGU Energy Code, which integrates energy efficiency into local development planning by incorporating energy infrastructure into LGUs’ land use and development plans, guided by designated energy efficiency officers,” Fuentebella specified.

In this year’s global energy efficiency conference, that had been attended by more than 100 countries, the spotlight was locked onto industrial efficiency as a major strategy to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.

IEA Executive Director Fatijh Birol asserted that “energy efficiency is about so much more than just energy. It delivers clear benefits for people, lowering their bills, improving businesses’ competitiveness and creating jobs.”

However, last week’s IEA threw a wrench in the momentum, as it highlighted that industrial energy efficiency somehow hit a wall, and that prompted ministers and business leaders to dissect “how digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can help optimize operations and reduce consumption.”

Apart from energy efficiency rollout within the league of big businesses, global policy leaders are likewise tightening the screws by exploring other effective policies “to unlock investment and improve affordability and competitiveness – especially for small businesses and low-income households.”

On top of that, buildings and appliances will similarly be in focus, with the IEA expounding that “policymakers (are) discussing how to expand building codes, retrofit existing stock, and raise efficiency standards for fast-growing product categories such as air conditioners,” citing further that to-date, “five air conditioners are sold globally every second, but most are only half as efficient as the best available models.”