THE Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) yesterday launched a campaign and released four new brochures in an effort to promote energy saving and awareness.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said he was happy to support this “timely exercise” which can help people to make wiser choices in their lifestyles.
Last year, he said oil prices rose rapidly hence the question of energy cost was on everyone’s mind, as they were trying to find enough money to pay for fuel through electricity use.
According to him, the amount spent on importing fuel last year was some US$400M.
Hence, the Prime Minister said this exercise brings to people’s attention the need for them to make lifestyle changes, which would reduce energy consumption and, at the same time, not severely affect their lives significantly.
Chief Executive Officer at GEA Mr. Mahender Sharma said this week was designated “Environmental Week” under the theme “Your planet needs you – Unite to combat climate change.”
He said the four new brochures which were produced by the GEA will help to answer the questions of what people can do to play their role in reducing their consumption and in combating the global problem of climate change.
He said they were selected of specific areas such as lighting, appliances, building designs and transportation use.
According to him, the Energy Efficient Lighting brochure provides useful tips when choosing lamps, the use of focused and general lighting and the benefits of using energy efficient lamps.
He said the brochure on Appliances provides information on the importance of unplugging devices, use of switched outlets, maintenance of appliances and caution when using certain appliances that consume large amounts of energy.
This brochure, he said, also urges consumers to pay attention to the energy labels affixed to appliances when making purchasing decisions. Tips for saving energy in the home in relation to cooking and using the refrigerator are also included.
According to Sharma, the brochure entitled “Be AutoSmart” provides many useful tips for vehicle owners and operators. He said simple measures such as removing excess weight from the vehicle, ensuring properly inflated tyres and routine maintenance can have a significant impact on a vehicle’s fuel consumption and ultimately the cost of operation.
The final brochure on “Building design” provides suggestions on how to reduce electricity costs. He said suggestions include the use of pastel colours, making use of natural light and natural airflow.
Sharma also mentioned that quite often persons set the temperature of air-conditioning units to the minimum resulting in very cold rooms. However, he noted that there is no need to excessively cool the room since every degree below 24 degrees Celsius can consume between 3 to 8% more energy depending on the size and type of unit.
According to Sharma, to complement the campaign, the GEA has recently re-launched its website at www.gea.gov.gy.
He said a key feature recently added to this website is a blog which provides for an interactive forum to share ideas and experiences.
Sharma stated: “New patterns of energy consumption need to become imbedded in daily routines rather than only being practiced when there is an energy crisis looming.”
He also stated that apart from this launch, there are a few other initiatives that the GEA has had in mind such as a home energy audit. This will allow for the GEA to visit typical homes (low, medium and high consuming) with certain instruments so as to offer advice on what they are currently consuming and their potential for saving in those areas.
Sharma said the GEA has also considered setting up an energy hotline where people can call in and ask questions and whereby they can do a follow-up in visiting their homes to make recommendations.
The Prime Minister rejoined that until energy fully is reflective if its true cost, people would not take the action that they should.