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Source:
Borneo Bulletin
By: James Kon
"Brunei Darussalam could save at least
up to 50 per cent of its energy wastage
in the next 30 years if the public
practises energy efficiency in
households and offices.
"However, it takes time to sum up the
savings. Denmark and Japan have been
very successful today, but they started
saving energy 30 years ago. It is a slow
effect but it starts building up," said
Mr Ir Lalchand, an electrical engineer
from Pusat Tenaga Malaysia.
He talked on energy efficiency
initiatives for industry and commercial
Sectors at SEAMEO Voctech yesterday
morning.
He hopes that Brunei, with its financial
resources, can achieve energy efficiency
and will be able to be a good example
for the region and promote itself as one
of the success stories in Asean.
Brunei Darussalam is ranked as the third
highest consumer in Asia of electricity
per capita after Japan and Singapore,
according to the APEC on energy supply
and demand outlook.
"People yet have the right idea on the
value of energy, we have the same thing
in Malaysia where the government
subsidises the fuel. People will think
it is of low value. But if you give the
right signal, people will understand the
real value of energy.
"More people, especially students, need
to understand why should we throw away
something that costs more even though it
may cost us less. Because the country
will lose, the people and the future
generation will lose. So, education is
important to make sure people are aware
of it and practise it. Government
agencies, like the electrical services
department, should start monitoring and
advising companies in saving energy."
He highlighted that things have to
change. It's not a question of just one
country or one region, it is worldwide.
If any country doesn't change, there
will be international pressure to
change. For example, Brunei Darussalam
is a small country and does not have
much pollution. However, Brunei did
suffer pollution from neighbouring
countries. Therefore, Brunei can promote
energy efficiency strongly and promote
this to neighbouring countries.
Energy efficiency is two-fold: One is
for users to save energy in doing
business and living. At the same time,
it helps to reduce carbon dioxide
emission to safeguard the environment.
Majority of the energy used at the
moment is fossil fuel, a non-renewable
energy, which is being depleted. Fossil
fuel cannot form as fast as it is being
used. Because of the depletion, capacity
is reducing and reserves are decreasing.
The rapid growth and high-energy demand
of India and China are causing a strain
on world supply in fuel. Costs have gone
up and the availability, too.
Brunei Darussalam is fortunate that the
country has a lot of energy available in
the years to come. But worldwide, the
cost and the availability of fuel have
become an important issue that could
cause political issues and turmoil.
For house owners in cities, energy
efficiency can reduce pollutant waste,
meaning less acid rain that could have
lesser impact on the environment.
In terms of economic benefits, he said,
"Most countries are subsiding energy in
various forms. So, by using energy
efficiently, you reduce the subsidies
and therefore, release the capital for
other social benefits.
"Energy efficiency doesn't only mean
electricity and fuel, it also includes
water. To produce clean water, we also
need energy so using less water can also
help conserve energy."
To help reduce energy consumption,
"there are plenty of energy efficient
equipment out there, which are more
productive and efficient. New energy-
saving technologies in air-conditioning,
lighting and house instillation are some
of the methods in reducing the
consumption of energy. We also have to
have efficient controls set for human
comfort level.
An example: "When I come in the morning,
the lecture room is freezing cold, and I
raise the temperature from 16oC to 24oC
which is a comfortable temperature for
the clothing we normally wear. For every
degree that is reduced, we are reducing
around 10 per cent of energy.
For the household, "families should not
leave their refrigerators open for a
long time. Because when you leave the
refrigerator open, cold air will go out
and the refrigerator would have to
re-cool itself again using energy.
"Families could also save energy through
replacing incandescent bulbs with energy
saving bulbs, which can save 25 per cent
of energy."
To promote energy saving methods, the
"government can use concerted and
continuous efforts in educating the
public on energy-efforts and the impact
on environment. And the government could
also spend some money to help people to
save energy. For example, for the lower
income people, the government could
provide cash grants to purchase energy-
saving equipment," he said. |
