ECCP to create helpdesk for energy drive

MANILA, Philippines - The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) yesterday announced that it will create a helpdesk in order to jumpstart its energy efficiency campaign.

“We want to drive the importance of energy efficiency. The helpdesk will give companies a direct access to the program,” ECCP executive vice president Henry Schumacher said. He noted that over the next 12 months, their Energy Smart Program would create awareness across all industries on the benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures.

Since the holding of the 1st Philippine Energy Efficiency Forum in July, the ECCP said the Energy Smart Program has now gathered more than 60 companies across key industries to take part in the program.

Schumacher stressed that given the escalating cost of electricity, businesses must understand “the energy saved is the cheapest energy a company can get.”

The Energy Smart Program is a long- term project that will provide companies with measures that will result in significant savings in their operations, make them competitive in the international market, and create partnerships with energy solutions providers and green financing institutions.

Schumacher said the ECCP will initially assist companies that are looking to become more energy efficient with a “walk-through assessment” of its operations to identify areas where it can save energy. The initial walk-through assessment will be free of charge and will be conducted by a team of Energy Smart Energy Assessors.

Should the companies want to pursue the auditand get a detailed recommendation on the changes it could implement, that is the only time when they would have to discuss specific terms and conditions of an engagement.

Among those that are part of the Energy Smart Energy Assessors are First Gen Corp., Jardine Energy Inc., TELCS, Philips, Maschinen & Technik Inc., Schneider Electric Philippines, and Siemens Philippines. It also includes institutional partners International Finance Corporation and Energy Practitioners Association of the Philippines.

There have been studies that suggested that 43 percent of a company’s costs of operations are accounted for by power consumption.

Aside from the initial energy assessment, the Energy Smart Program will also hold awareness conferences, workshops and roundtables including best practices seminars to promote energy efficiency as one strategy to enhance business competitiveness.