Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings (Adopted through Department Circular No.DC2020-12-0026 or also known as the Adoption of the Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings)
The Department of Energy advocates efforts that continuously advance and strengthen the agenda of the Philippines in energy efficiency and conservation programs, and has constructed an official policy that provides the guidelines on the energy-conserving design of local structures. The Department of Energy’s new policy helps alleviate a culture that consolidates energy efficiency and conservation fundamentals in the early stages of building design, to assist the formation of resilient and energy-efficient infrastructure in the future.
The agenda of this policy is to encourage and promote the energy-conserving design of buildings and their services to reduce the use of energy with due regard to the cost-effectiveness, building function, and comfort, health, safety, and productivity of the occupants. Further, to prescribe guidelines and minimum requirements for the energy-conserving design of new buildings and major renovation of existing buildings that fall and are covered under these guidelines, and provide methods for determining compliance with the same to make the buildings always energy-efficient.
With the establishment of Republic Act No. 11285, otherwise known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of 2019, the policy of the State towards the efficient and judicious utilization of energy has been strengthen further. The formulation of these guidelines is to address the needs in providing energy efficiency guidance in the design and construction of buildings in the Philippines and to ensure the use of energy-efficient systems in the building sector. The Department of Energy implemented and released the Department Circular (DC) DC2020-12-0026, or the “Adoption of the Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings” that states the minimum standards on energy efficient building design for new buildings and any expansion or modification of existing buildings under the “Implementing Rules and Regulations of the RA 11285.”
The aforementioned department circular requires the building sectors to use solar panels, or solar photovoltaic, and other renewable energy technologies on new and existing buildings within its coverage. Other technology options that can be used are solar air conditioners, solar weather heaters, solar air conditioners, wind power supply systems, and solar-powered lighting systems that will narrow the demand for commercial power. In addition, it keeps monthly energy consumption data and other energy-related data according to their annual targets, plans, and methods of measurements and verification for the implementation of energy efficiency and conservation projects.
The framework of the Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings will improve the average specific energy consumption in accordance with the annual reduction targets to be established by the DOE in the National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Program (NEECP) and will uplift innovation and cooperation on a large scale among all stakeholders to achieve the DOE’s advocacy for the creation of “green” buildings that attains to lower the greenhouse gas emissions through increasing public awareness on energy-efficient technologies and practices.
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