BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan has signed a city ordinance requiring all government offices and facilities in the city to use energy conservation technologies like Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) light bulbs and renewable energy systems to save on energy, power bills, and for a clean environment.
City information office chief Aileen Refuerzo said Domogan signed City Ordinance No. 43 series of 2018 on Thursday, April 19.
The ordinance mandates government facilities such as office buildings, schools, hospitals, barangay halls, day care centers, health centers, covered courts, streetlights, overpasses, parks, and treatment plants, to use energy-saving technologies like LED light bulbs and renewable energy like solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal.
The ordinance aims to reduce energy consumption and lower the expenses of the city.
The City Accounting Office said the city government’s electric bill for 2015 cost PHP71.149 million in public funds. The city’s officials said this could be reduced if modern saving technologies like LED would be adopted. They noted that LED, for instance, consumes only 15 percent of traditional facilities.
The new ordinance also mandates all government offices and facilities to replace all bulbs or fixtures with LED or other proven cost-saving technology within a period of one year for vertical structures and two years for horizontal structures, streetlights, and park lightings after the effectivity of the ordinance.
The newly-approved ordinance is in line with the Environment Code of the City, which adopts green infrastructure, building plans, and designs.
The measure also mandates the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to, whenever practicable, recommend to applicants securing building permits or electricity service connection to incorporate the use of energy-efficient options like LED, solar, or other energy-saving device or technologies in their buildings.
The CBAO, along with the City Engineering Office (CEO), the City General Services Office (GSO), the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO), and the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), were tasked to formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the ordinance within 60 days from its approval.
The measure also has provisions for initial funding to implement the LED replacement and the restoration of damaged lighting fixtures in case of calamities. (Liza Agoot/PNA)
