PHL to adopt int’l standards on energy-efficient motors

The Philippines is adopting the international standard classification for electrical machineries in the run-up to mandating the use of high-efficiency motors across industries to reduce electricity consumption.

“In about a month’s time, the IEC standard will be adopted by the Philippines. It will become the Philippine National Standard and this standard is actually the energy efficiency classification standard for motors,” Marvin Ryan Bathan, project manager of Switch to High Efficiency Motors (HEMs) project, told GMA News Online in an interview on the sidelines of a workshop in Pasay City.

Funded by the European Union, HEMs is a four-year project that aims to encourage a switch to more efficient electric motors and lower operating costs.

Adopting the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard 60034-1 is the policy component of HEMs, Bathan noted.

“Part of the HEMs team is involved in the technical working committee for the Bureau of Product Standards of the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry),” he said.

“Once this standard is adopted it will become a Philippine National Standard. Contained in that standard are the different classifications of motors in terms of efficiencies. We have IE-1 as a standard efficient motor, and then IE-2 as high efficient, and EI-3 as premium,” he added.

By next month, the IEC 60034-1 will become a PNS if there are no major objections and comments from the public regarding the standard.

“Once this standard is in place, the DOE (Department of Energy) can come up with the MEPS or the Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards. MEPS will mandate the efficiency class of motors in the industries,” Bathan said.

“The process kasi, before the MEPS is enforced there has to be a certain reference standard that has to be followed or used and as of now we do not have that motor standard.  So our team is most involved in the deliberation and facilitation of the IEC 60034-1,” he added.

Bathan underscored the importance of having an electric motors standard.

“As of now, we don’t have any standards that says industries should use a particular efficiency class of motors. So most of the motors in the industry now are standard efficient motors, but once the MEPS is in place then we could have a high-efficiency motors IE-2, or IE-3 as the minimum motor that will be sold in the market,” he said.

“Other countries in ASEAN already have their own MEPS for motors. So, a lot of inventory of standard efficient motors are coming into the Philippines. And that is sad … kasi 'young mga low-efficiency as at in napupunta,” he added. — VDS, GMA News