DC2021-01-0001: Guidelines for the Qualifications, Assessment, Registration, and Certification of Energy Conservation Officers (CECO), Energy Managers (CEM), and Energy Auditors (EA)
Department Circular No. DC2021-01-0001, signed 11 January 2021 by DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi. Establishes the “Certification Guidelines for CECO, CEM and EA” — the individual-practitioner certification track under RA 11285
(EEC Act) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, DC2019-11-0014 (EEC-IRR; not yet ingested — Tier B2 of plan/2026-07-31-uningested-circular-backlog.md) [DC2021-01-0001, Whereas clauses, 2021-01].
Background
Follows a Call for Comments posted on the DOE website 12 June–29 June 2020 and a Virtual Public Consultation held 30 June 2020 [DC2021-01-0001, Whereas clauses, 2021-01]. Builds on EEC-IRR §49 (system for assessing/certifying energy conservation officers and energy managers), §54 (Energy Auditor qualification guidelines), and §§63/66 (Designated Establishments’ obligations to conduct energy audits and employ CECO/CEM) [DC2021-01-0001, Whereas clauses, 2021-01]. Memorandum Circular MC2020-05-0001 supplies the Designated Establishment classification this circular’s coverage depends on [DC2021-01-0001, Whereas clauses, 2021-01].
Scope and definitions
Covers assessment, registration, and certification of energy conservation officers, energy managers, and energy auditors for Designated Establishments under MC2020-05-0001 [DC2021-01-0001, §2, 2021-01]. Three defined roles [DC2021-01-0001, §3, 2021-01]:
| Role | Definition | Qualification (§4) |
|---|---|---|
| CECO (Certified Energy Conservation Officer) | Supervises/maintains Type 1 Designated Establishment facilities for energy consumption management | 2+ years continuous hands-on experience installing/operating/maintaining energy-consuming machinery |
| CEM (Certified Energy Manager) | Plans/leads/manages/monitors/evaluates sustainable energy management for Type 2 Designated Establishments | 4-year course graduate (preferably engineering), 3+ years continuous hands-on experience |
| EA (Energy Auditor) | Individual or entity with proven credibility/competence to conduct energy audits | 1+ year continuous energy-audit experience |
Note: the document’s own defined term is CECO, not “ECO” — some earlier corpus pages abbreviated this incorrectly.
Registration and certification
Registration is with DOE-EUMB, each role accompanied by a PRC license (when applicable) or diploma plus experience documentation; registrations already made under EEC-IRR §49 or MC2020-05-0001 §IV are deemed compliant [DC2021-01-0001, §7, 2021-01]. DOE-EUMB must issue streamlined registration guidelines within 60 days of effectivity [DC2021-01-0001, §7.5, 2021-01].
The certification system itself — training modules, competency standards, assessment and certification processes — is DOE’s and TESDA’s joint responsibility, due within 3 years of effectivity, aligned with the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and RA 11393 (Advanced Energy and Green Building Technologies Curriculum Act) curriculum requirements coordinated through CHED [DC2021-01-0001, §§8, 10, 2021-01]. CEM certification specifically targets licensed engineers [DC2021-01-0001, §8.2, 2021-01]. Continuing qualification: CECOs need TESDA-approved seminars; CEMs need DOE-approved seminars [DC2021-01-0001, §9, 2021-01].
Prohibited acts and penalties
Six prohibited acts, each subject to the same uniform fine schedule under Annex A [DC2021-01-0001, §§11–12, Annex A, 2021-01]:
| Violation | 1st Offense | 2nd Offense | 3rd Offense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failure to register (CECO/CEM/EA, per-role documentation requirements) | PhP10,000 | PhP15,000 | PhP20,000 + certification revocation |
| Failure of CECO to complete mandatory TESDA-approved continuing seminars | PhP10,000 | PhP15,000 | PhP20,000 + certification revocation |
| Failure of CEM to complete mandatory DOE-approved continuing seminars | PhP10,000 | PhP15,000 | PhP20,000 + certification revocation |
| Failure to comply with DOE enforcement orders | PhP10,000 | PhP15,000 | PhP20,000 + certification revocation |
Fines apply on a per-violation basis (not per-product-model, unlike PELP’s Annex C) and are without prejudice to certification revocation and/or blacklisting [DC2021-01-0001, Annex A, 2021-01].
Later practitioner counts
As of December 2023, PEP 2023-2050 reports 901 certified practitioners under this framework: 488 CEM, 184 CECO, 229 listed as “Certified Energy Auditors (CEA)” [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. II, p.52, 2023] — note DC2021-01-0001’s own defined term for this third role is simply “Energy Auditor (EA),” without a “Certified” prefix; “CEA” appears to be later reporting usage rather than this circular’s own terminology.
Full text: Cleaned copy