The Jamaica government has produced an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Standards Guide, as part of its effort to reduce that country’s energy consumption, starting with the public sector:

Developed by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) through its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme (EECP), the Guide contains standards to which ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will be held accountable in order to lower electricity consumption.

The objective is to ensure responsible energy use at government facilities. The Guide will be made available in April.

Science, Energy and Technology Minister, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, said energy efficiency represents a key aspect of the Government’s strategy to reduce the country’s dependence on high-cost, imported fossil fuel.

“Even now more than ever, we have to ensure that we reduce that dependence on fossil fuel,” he said at the launch of the Guide at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on February 21.

Dr. Wheatley noted that electricity consumption in the public sector during the past five years increased at an average rate of 0.4 per cent per annum while costs have grown to 11.3 per cent.

“In fact, in 2013, the monthly electricity bill of government was an estimated US$13.9 million,” he said, stressing the importance of introducing policies to reduce costs, such as diversifying the energy mix through the use of renewable sources.

Dr. Wheatley indicated that the Guide is timely, as it will ensure that MDAs purchase and use more energy-efficient equipment “in a responsible manner”.

“It is critical for us as partners to embrace and adopt these standards that we have developed for the public sector. I am sure that as partners within the public sector, these best practices will be rolled out in the different MDAs,” he said.

The Minister also wants to see the best practices adopted in households, leading to a shift in culture in the way energy efficiency and conservation are approached in Jamaica.

Read more from the Jamaica Information Service.

[Image: Dave Reid via the Jamaica Information Service]