Emmanuel Kofi Buah (middle) with Kojo Antwi (left) and some school children from Medie JHS
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Boah, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, has urged Ghanaians to be prudent in the use of energy in order to save watts and reduce electricity bills.
Mr Buah made this known at the launch of the national ‘Save A Watt’ campaign 2014 in Accra, which forms part of energy conservation efforts by the Energy Commission.
He said, ‘Although some of us argue that we are capable of paying for what we use, the solutions to the imbalance between supply and demand could be met collectively and requires adoption from every section and every class of our people.’
The lack of awareness is one of the major barriers to efficient use of energy and conservation, Mr Buah said.
‘It is instructive to note that energy conservation is also achievable through efficient use of energy by using energy efficient appliances.
He therefore appealed to corporate bodies to support the Energy Commission in its ‘Save A Watt’ awareness creation campaign.
Mr Buah also called on the telecom operators in Ghana to support the ‘Switch off a Freezer’ campaign by sending text messages to their subscribers to switch off their freezers every 6pm.
He announced an increase in the discounts offered for a 2-Star fridge, which has now been increased from GH¢50 to GH¢200, adding that the new discount value for a 3 to 5 star fridge was GH¢300.
Mr Buah urged the general public to take advantage of the increase in the discount rates and turn in their old refrigerators for new ones.
Robert Dwamena, Director of Procurements, Electricity Company of Ghana, in his speech, said energy conservation offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future.
He said improvement in energy efficiency could reduce investment in energy infrastructure, cut fuel costs, increase competitiveness and consumer welfare.
Dwamena said, ‘Save A Watt’ campaign is very relevant and timely in view of the electricity supply challenges currently confronting the nation.
‘To address the supply challenges in the medium to long term, a number of capital investment projects in new generation capacity are being implemented.
‘These advances notwithstanding, it is important to promote energy conservation as a major component of the on-going solutions in the immediate, medium and long terms,’ he said.
Dwamena said, ‘Saving a watt here and there would accumulate into hundreds of megawatts of power which would be available for other productive use to develop our economy.
‘We are currently implementing a number of stakeholder engagements, customer education and media campaigns on energy conservation. Energy conservation must be a way of life imbibed into the Ghanaian culture,’ he said.
By Cephas Larbi
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