Energy chief warns public not to be fooled

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla has warned the public against individuals and groups who are taking undue advantage of the government’s energy efficiency and conservation program.

Lotilla noted that these unscrupulous individuals and groups have been promoting and selling equipment, appliances or devices that are reportedly endorsed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to help save energy.

He said the DOE has received reports that its name and the Government’s energy conservation program are being used to market so-called energy saving equipment, appliances and devices that did not actually pass the mandated performance tests.

He stressed that the DOE has not endorsed any equipment and appliance and added that DOE employees are strictly prohibited from representing the agency in any such activity.

"We strongly warn these groups to stop these unscrupulous activities that put our consumers at risk," he said.

He pointed out that electrical appliances and devices sold in the market are required to go through several standards performance tests conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS) and energy performance tests by the DOE.

In the case of refrigerators, airconditioners and freezers, consumers are advised to look for the yellow energy labels or tags prominently displayed in the products certifying that these passed the standards and energy performance tests. The yellow label shows the products‚ life span, energy consumption in kilowatt hours and energy efficiency ratio (EER). A high EER means that the product is more energy efficient.

For compact fluorescent lights (CFL), consumers are also advised to look for the yellow label that indicates the wattage rating of the product. For CFL, the energy efficiency rating is expressed in terms of lumens. Given the same light output and same product brand, consumers should look for the CFLs that have higher lumens per watt as these are more energy efficient.

Consumers are also urged to buy fluorescent ballasts with low ballast loss to save on energy. Ballast loss refers to the energy consumption of the ballast.

Lotilla urged consumers to be more vigilant and report any such activity to the DOE’s Consumer Welfare and Promotion Office (CWPO) through hotline number 840-2267 or 840-1401 local 329. Consumers are also encouraged to send text message by typing DOE<space><message> and send to 2920.