Pairin: Nurture practice of efficient energy use

 

The practice of using energy efficiently should be nurtured and cultivated in the society and should be applied at home or at the office to avoid power wastage.

Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Infrastructure Development, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, said although society has developed significantly in the past hundred years, consumer behaviour has not changed much due to lack of awareness and concern for natural resources and the environment.

He said this in a speech delivered by Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development, Datuk Japlin Akim, during the launching of the Energy Efficiency Audit Demo Programme, here, Monday.

Also present at the ceremony were Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) Managing Director, Abdul Razak Sallim, and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Energy Services Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Shahrir Abdul Latiff. 

"Electricity generation in the State in 2011 used 50 per cent of fuel gas, in which 40 per cent was based on diesel and medium fuel oil (MFO), 6.5 per cent from hydro sources and the rest was from renewable energy sources. 

"The high dependency on fossil fuels with imported resources gives us a clear signal that it will be one of the main challenges in guaranteeing our future energy security," said Pairin.

He added that the industrial sector and electricity generation represent two-thirds of the total emission of carbon dioxide.

"Therefore, logically speaking, the electricity generation sector could play an important role in handling the climate change issue which is associated to global warming through efficient power management," he said.

He also said the State Government is very supportive of the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry's policy of government buildings' temperature at 24 degree Celsius.

"I hope the Energy Efficiency Audit Programme held will inspire other building managers to take the initiative to hold the Energy Efficiency Audit on their premises," he said. The 'one-off demo' programme worth more than RM160,000 involved the audit of two large buildings in the State Capital and is the first programme carried out in the State.

The programme was funded by Electricity Supply Industry Trust Account (AAIBE).

The buildings involved were Wisma Sedco and Kinabalu Daya Hotel.

According to Abdul Razak, the energy audit is the first step towards a better energy management system.

Generally, energy audit is a survey to review how energy was utilised in a building and to identify opportunities to save energy.

Consumers can save between 10 to 30 per cent of their electricity bills if they adhere to the recommendations of made by the auditors.

Other than encouraging building owners to implement the efficient energy initiative, the programme is also hoped to be the catalyst for other building owners to take similar initiative to get the Green Building status.

Malaysia is the third biggest contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in Asean and the 31st in the world per person at 4.5 tonne metric per person. It also recorded one of the highest growth rate of CO2 emission in the world at 7.9 per cent and sits at 27th in the world as the culprit of CO2 emission at 0.69 per cent.

Source: Daily Express