VECO’s 'Cebu Unplug campaign' goes to barangays

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1061434709834/veco-s-cebu-unplug-campaign-goes-to-barangays
• Sunday, June 21, 2015

By Fayette C. Riñen (mbcn/fcr/PIA7/with reports from Jay-Ileen Engalla, Intern/PIT)

CEBU, June 21 (PIA) -- The Cebu Unplugged Campaign of the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) spreads to the barangays next month as the company advocates a lifestyle habit to adopt energy conservation measures in the household as a long-term goal.

VECO reputation enhancement manager Ma. Theresa Sederiosa said, the Cebu City Council has adopted the program and will launch the campaign in July which councilor Nida Cabrera spearheads being the chairperson of the Committee on Environment.

“Cebu Unplugged will now be implemented in the 80 barangays of Cebu City,” said Sederiosa who added that Cebu Province already passed a resolution adopting the program authored by Provincial Board Member Peter John Calderon.

Sederiosa said the conservation campaign in the city’s barangays will not only focus on energy efficiency but also water conservation.

Cebu Unplugged campaign on the other hand, listed eight ways to conserve energy of which the number one rule is to unplug appliances and electronics when not in use because simply turning it off without unplugging it continues to consume energy.

The other conservation measures listed are defrost refrigerator regularly to prevent build-up and cover up and save on cooling cost by blocking sun’s heat with curtains.

Maximize use of washing machine in one go, shut the door of appliances, use gas burner instead of electric stove, turn on electric fans instead of air condition units and choose energy-efficient appliances.

“Power supply is almost equal to demand and to avert an energy crisis, we need to manage the problem from the demand side,” said Sederiosa.

On the evening of June 15, power reserve in Cebu was recorded at -105MW based on the report of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Engr. Saul Gonzales, chief of the Energy Industry Management Bureau of the Department of Energy - Visayas Field Office (DOE-VFO).

Gonzales said the available supply on the night of June 15 was at 643.5 MW but the demand that day reached 748 MW although he was quick to assure the public that there is ample power supply in Cebu. The projection towards yearend is that power use will be excessive which will further reduce our power reserve, he added.

Gonzalessaid, Cebu should lead in the energy conservation campaign because it has the highest power demand from the Visayas grid at 771 MW followed by Panay with only 284 MW and Negros Island with 267 MW. Leyte is fourth with 159 MW and last is Bohol with 58MW, said Gonzales.

Gonzales said VECO’s Cebu Unplugged campaign will help the government’s advocacy drive on the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program of the DOE.

Cebu Unplugged won the Bronze Award in the 2nd Asia Pacific Stevie Awards 2015 in Shanghai, China in June 5, where the campaign was pegged as “a different kind of people power.” The one-year old campaign was launched in June 2014.

Sederiosa said power demand in VECO’s franchise areas particularly Metro Cebu increases at an average growth of 4.5 to 5 percent as she placed emphasis on community involvement in energy conservation to prevent a possible power crisis.