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MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday urged consumers to start power-saving practices, as the country faces periods of tight energy supply and volatile power rates.
The first step to a more energy-efficient home or workplace is buying products guided by their energy label, the DOE said.
Yellow energy labels are mandatory on home air conditioners (except inverter type), home refrigerators (size range: 0.15-0.24 cubic meters, or 5-8 cubic feet), compact fluorescent lamps (self-ballasted), linear fluorescent lamps, circular fluorescent lamps and ballasts.
Simply, higher energy efficiency rating means lower energy consumption.
For fluorescent lamps, the energy label indicates the light output in lumens, power consumption, lamp efficacy and average life.
More lumens mean more light output. The higher the efficacy rating, the lower the energy consumption.
Those considering buying air-conditioning units to beat the summer heat will do well to look for a high energy efficiency ratio (EER), the DOE said.
EER refers to the cooling efficiency of the air conditioner. For refrigerators and freezers, the yellow energy guide bears the energy efficiency factor of the unit.
The DOE, however, warned the public against false claims of some companies that their products, when attached to electrical appliances or lighting products, can reduce energy consumption. Riza T. Olchondra
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