Public Utilities Commission and Moratuwa University to create low income housing model
View(s):The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the electricity sector regulator, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Moratuwa to collaborate and introduce a self-powered housing model for low income households with the aim of providing best architectural housing structure with the use of maximum daylight for low income households.
“Energy conservation is one of the functions that the PUCSL is empowered with by the Sri Lanka Electricity Act and we have taken regulatory measures over the past years to promote energy conservation to stabilise increasing energy demand in Sri Lanka,” Saliya Mathew, PUCSL Chairman said at the signing ceremony of the MoU, according to a media release issued by the PUCSL.
“We are keen for regulatory intervention in energy conservation of Sri Lanka and it is an honour to collaborate with the University of Moratuwa.
Signing this MoU is indeed an important milestone for us,” he added.
The MoU will lead the University of Moratuwa and PUCSL to carry out a collaborative research project to identify the energy demand patterns of low-income households and to establish “End User Energy Demand Indices” with a sample housing model for low-income households in rural, estate and urban areas.
“This initiative fulfils a significant national need on satisfying Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to reduce GHG emission from energy by 4 per cent unconditionally and 16 per cent conditionally (against 2010 baseline) by 2030. Moreover, this helps to promote awareness on energy efficiency and energy conservation among low-income families in Sri Lanka,” said Prof. K.K.C.K. Perera, Vice Chancellor, University of Moratuwa.
The project led by Dr. Indika Rajapaksa- Senior lecturer, Department of Architecture of University of Moratuwa and Jayanat Herat – Director Corporate Communication of PUCSL, will investigate a sample of 300-350 houses in each district of Moneragala, Kandy and Colombo in order to identify the low-income household energy usage patterns in rural, estate and urban.
The two-year project was proposed through the corporate plan of PUCSL 2019 with the aim of improving environmental conditions for every living being and to contribute towards easing the national burden related to energy costs in Sri Lanka.