Bandung, West Java – The Directorate of Energy Conservation under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), in collaboration with IREEM through the UK-PACT MENTARI Energy Efficiency program, organized the Energy Auditor Training and Certification on November 18–22, 2024, in Bandung City. This initiative aimed to enhance the competence of government building managers in implementing energy efficiency measures in the building sector.

Through this training, participants are expected to significantly reduce energy consumption and optimize the use of energy resources in government buildings. This strategic step is part of ongoing efforts to support national energy conservation and realize energy-efficient and environmentally friendly government buildings.

Referring to Government Regulation Number 33 of 2023 on Energy Conservation, the energy conservation program is implemented through the application of energy management. One of the key components of energy management is the periodic implementation of Energy Audits.

Periodic Energy Audits aim to ensure energy efficiency and support environmental sustainability. These activities are conducted by Energy Auditors who may come from within or outside the organization. Auditors are required to hold officially recognized competency certificates to ensure the quality and credibility of the audit results.

With a structured approach to energy audits, it is expected to achieve optimal energy efficiency and make a significant contribution to national energy conservation efforts. The training program was attended by 21 participants, 33% of whom were women. The participants represented 14 institutions, including one ministry, ten regional government offices, and three universities. These institutions came from nine provinces: East Kalimantan, Banten, Yogyakarta Special Region, Riau, West Java, Lampung, West Sumatra, Manado, and Jakarta.

The program lasted five days, with two days allocated for theoretical training, one day for energy audit practice, one day for portfolio preparation as part of the energy manager certification process, and one day for certification assessment activities. The training materials were based on the Indonesian National Work Competency Standards (SKKNI) No. 53 of 2018 for Energy Auditors. During the training, participants were divided into two groups in separate classrooms. The sessions were guided by two instructors: Mr. Parlindungan Marpaung and Mr. Gunawan Wibisono.

The energy audit practice was conducted using the West Java Energy and Mineral Resources Office building as the audit object. Participants were divided into four groups, focusing their measurements on air conditioning systems and lighting systems. The practice involved two main stages: an opening meeting for initial coordination and data measurement/collection as the primary step in the audit process.

Based on the portfolio mentoring results, all participants expressed their readiness to undergo the Energy Auditor certification process. The competency testing process consisted of three stages: portfolio document verification, written tests, and interviews. In the competency test phase, four assessors from the Professional Certification Institute (LSP) of the Indonesian Association of Energy Conservation Experts (HAKE) were involved.