Shocking waste for office tea

By Sachini Perera

Electricity consumption in some state institutions reaches an all time high between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. everyday as electricity is being used to boil water for tea, energy audits conducted by the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD) revealed.

Energy audits are one method of economising on electricity consumption in state institutions and offices. The solution suggested in this particular instance was to heat the water in one place or use gas.

Another audit showed that in most offices there is an hour of electricity wastage every day because it is usually the office peon who switches on and switches off the lights, ACs, fans, etc.

Because he comes and leaves half an hour before and after the rest of the office staff there is a daily waste of electricity.

It is evident that the reduction of power consumption in state institutions and offices has become important.

“The President has urged the public sector to reduce electricity consumption,” NERD chairman Jayantha Ranatunga said.

A seminar was held on September 15 to create awareness among public servants on power saving. A booklet on similar lines was also launched on the same day to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Environment and Energy Conservation Unit of NERD.

Mr. Ranatunga said that while this particular seminar was held only for the Western Province, others have been held before in Kandy, Galle and Kurunegala.

An Energy Conservation Committee, of which NERD is also an active member, has been appointed to look into the reduction of electricity consumption in state institutions.

At the seminar, institutions were taught how to analyze electricity bills and identify the times when electricity consumption is at a peak. When bills are not analyzed nobody is held responsible for energy wastage.

It was also noted that the entire office staff should be informed of the cost of each month’s electricity bill so that people would think twice before leaving a light or a fan on.

Building consensus among staff was also deemed important so that they think of the office as their own rather than the Government’s.

A participant at the seminar, K. Sarath Perera, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Disaster Relief Service said his institution already followed many energy conservation methods.

“The seminar was useful because it helped us clarify issues. We also learnt about technical aspects of energy conservation like the amount of electricity used by various types of equipment and how to analyze electricity bills,” said Mr. Perera.

He said the entire staff at his institution participates in power conservation.

“We are aware that energy wastage is also the wastage of tax payers’ money,” he said adding that events like the upcoming Inter-Ministerial productivity contest encourages them to eliminate electricity wastage.

According to Mr. Ranatunga, NERD provides guidelines for electricity conservation but it is up to the institutions to implement the methods and spread awareness among the employees. “We educate people and the response to the seminar and the booklet were positive,” he said.

This is evident from the feedback from another participant. “I was able to learn some interesting and simple methods of electricity conservation. There are simple things we forget like switching off a light. Such incidents multiplied many times contribute to the waste of much energy,” said D.S.P. Dunusinghe, Public Management Assistant of the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration.

He said that what he learnt at the seminar would definitely be implemented at his institution. “What we learnt today can be implemented not only at office but also at home,” he said.