President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged all national government agencies to use energy more efficiently amid the El Niño dry spell.

In Administrative Order 15 recently published in the Official Gazette, Marcos told government agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations to implement the Government Energy Management Program immediately.

The goal of the government-wide GEMP is to lower the government’s monthly use of petroleum products and power by conserving fuel and energy, among other things.

“There is a need to intensify efficient utilization and conservation of electricity and fuel to mitigate power demand amid the ongoing El Niño phenomenon,” Marcos said in the AO.

Marcos urged government agencies to conduct random energy spot-checks and energy audits with Certified Energy Auditors to expedite the implementation of the GEMP.

He told the agencies to provide a list of energy-consuming devices they have, like cars, heaters, and lights, along with a schedule for replacing them with more energy-efficient models.

The agencies are expected to abide by the Philippine Green Building Code for both new construction and retrofits, as well as the Department of Energy’s Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings.

They must also implement low-cost energy efficiency and conservation practices, like keeping air-conditioned areas at 24 degrees Celsius, shutting off lights and air conditioners when not in use, and turning on office equipment’s sleep settings.

Marcos also instructed agencies to set up a system for tracking energy usage in their offices and institutionalize EEC in their particular spaces.