MEDIA RELEASE
2 JULY 2013
(Taguig City) In light of advancing the cause of energy efficiency and conservation in buildings and infrastructures around the country, the Department of Energy (DOE), together with the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC), conducted the Building Green 2013 Conference and Awarding Ceremony.
Officials and representatives from different government agencies, architects and engineers, academe, and building practitioners attended the event held from June 25-26 at the New World Hotel, Makati City.
The highlight of the two events is the launch of the latest version of the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) Green Building Rating System (GBRS).
BERDE GBRS is used to measure, verify, and monitor the environmental performance of buildings that exceeds existing mandatory regulations and standards. It is consensus-driven, and achieved through a multi-stakeholder consultation and collaboration process.
Various case studies coming from the commercial, residential, and public sectors were presented throughout the conference on pilot projects, strategies and standards, and other private and public initiatives undertaken to facilitate the upgrade of different structures to comply with the BERDE GBRS Version 1.1.0.
During the Awarding Ceremony, twelve BERDE building projects that are registered under the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project-Efficient Building Initiative (PEEP-EBI) were recognized, along with 31 government buildings for efficient lighting certification.
In the efficient lighting certification under PEEP-EBI, the recognized government buildings has the potential energy savings of 1,347 megawatt - hour, which is equivalent to monetary savings of PhP7.3 million annually. The goal of the PEEP is to reduce electricity consumption by 243 megawatts, which is equivalent to the emission avoidance of 172,000 tons of carbon dioxide and monetary savings of PhP3.2 billion annually.
Aside from lighting, BERDE considers energy efficiency in all aspects, including air, water, and waste in buildings to create a healthy environment for users and improve the quality of life.
The PEEP-EBI is a project of the DOE that aims to show the societal benefits of implementing a series of energy efficiency projects in different sectors. It was put in place to accelerate the implementation of a green building rating system by streamlining existing green building initiatives in the property sector. For this subcomponent, the DOE recognizes the BERDE-GBRS developed by the PHILGBC as the National Voluntary Green Building Rating System.
The government hopes to follow through on the certification of other buildings and set an example to other sectors when it comes to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction in buildings.
Though this event marks the end of the PEEP-EBI, the DOE, in partnership with PHILGBC and other professional organizations, will continue to stress energy efficiency and green policies, programs, and practices in the different sectors and in the country at large.