THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) on Friday has listed down the guidelines for the assessment, registration and certification of energy conservation officers who cover establishments that consume more than 500,000 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) per year.
These come around eight months after the department held a virtual public consultation on the draft guidelines for the certification of energy efficiency professionals.
In a department circular published on Friday, the DoE formalized qualifications for certified energy conservation officers (CECO), certified energy managers (CEM), and energy auditors (EA).
“We envision that these formal certifications would not only professionalize high-level energy management learnings but would also generate greater employment opportunities for energy efficiency practitioners across all sectors,” DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi was quoted as saying in a statement.
The circular stated that CECOs would cover Type 1 designated establishments (DEs) or those that consume between 500,000 kWh to 4 million kWh per year. The CECO must have at least two years of experience in the maintenance of energy-consuming machines and facilities for DEs under the Type 1 designation.
CEMs are required to supervise and manage Type 2 DEs or those with a yearly power consumption of more than 4 million kWh. A CEM must have at least three years of experience in the maintenance of energy-consuming machines and facilities for Type 2 DEs.
Meanwhile, the EA must have at least one year of experience on handling energy audits.
The DoE and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) would be in charge of developing the training module for the CECO and EA certification.
The department said it will consult with stakeholders, including those from the engineering sector and training institutions, to create the system for CEM certification.
In its circular, the DoE said it will coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on the integration of energy management topics in existing engineering courses.
“The DoE will provide the schedule for the approved certification process upon the finalization of the training regulations and course subjects,” the department said in a statement.
The circular on CECO, CEM and EA certification will take effect 15 days after its publication in two newspapers of general circulation. — Angelica Y. Yang