POWER WASTAGE CAN BE CURBED IF CONSUMERS VALUE ELECTRICITY

By Massita Ahmad
PUTRAJAYA, May 16 (Bernama) -- Power wastage among Malaysians can be curbed
if they value electricity and accept the fact that the government is embarking
on gradual reduction of subsidy, the Centre for Environment, Technology &
Development Malaysia (Cetdem) chairman, Gurmit Singh, said.

He added that consumers were taking too much comfort over the low cost of
electricity to the point that they regarded it as an item of convenience rather
than a necessity.

"For instance, it's much more convenient for them to boil water using
electric kettle, not realising that this is twice as costly than using gas," he
told Bernama.

Citing a study, he said, Malaysian household energy consumption was
dominated by fuel at 75 per cent followed by electricity (20 per cent) and gas
at five per cent.

Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association secretary-general Dr Ma'amor
Osman admitted that there had been a wastage of energy and that all quarters,
not just domestic consumers, should strive to minimise electricity consumption.

He said local authorities should organise programmes to encourage the
public to plant trees to help mitigate heat build-up, thus minimising the use of
air-conditioning.

Developers could also play their role by desigining "cool" houses such as by
constructing high ceiling, using "non-heaty" materials and providing solar panel
as an alternative source of energy.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations president Marimuthu
Nadason said since June 2008 the association had been carrying out
electricity-saving campaign, a major component of its national consumer advocacy
campaign.

"Even a small change in our houses can make a difference to the future of
the world. Prudent energy consumption not only ensure low electricity bill but
also efficient electricity consumption.

"Energy efficiency practice is the simplest way to minimise emission of
greenhouse gases from our house," he said.

Gurmit also called on Malaysians to inculcate the culture of using
electricity
as a "need" and not just as a modern "convenience."

As such, he said he would not oppose if the government were to abolish all
subsidies in a bid to increase public awareness on the importance of prudent
electricity consumption.

Among the relevant subsidies is on the price of gas given to the power
generation industry, which is far below the market price.

At present, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has approximately 7.2 million clients
nationwide comprising 3.3 million or 55.6 per cent domestic users, with
consumption amounting to less than 200 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity or
about RM40 (US$1=RM3.03) monthly.

Among the domestic users, 1.1 million are using less that 100 kWh monthly
and this group is enjoying about RM12 million in electricity subsidy because
their monthly electricity bills do not reach RM20.

"For most of us, all we know is that power must reach our homes without
realising that the government has paid part of the cost, not including the cost
to generate the electricity, which is very high because the price of the service
is vulnerable in the open market, just like oil, gas and coal.

"For this year alone, the government is expected to add another RM4 billion
in oil subsidy if the price of world's crude oil remains over US$100 (RM302) per
barrel.

"You have to realise from now on and accept the fact that subsidy is being
reduced from time to time. Do more to appreciate electricity so that when the
time comes, you will not be badly affected.

"Do not wait until you have to pay the price for electricity according to
the market price to start appreciating it," Gurmit said, adding that there were
consumers in other countries who had to pay the market price for their
electricity consumption.

For Dr Ma’amor, domestic users must be more creative in optimising the use
of electricity at a much lower cost.

"A small step must be taken, like using thermos flask to keep hot water and use
water filter to get cold and clean water," he said.

He said consumers could also use bright-colour paint to get their rooms
brighter without having to use extra lights.

Apart from that, he said the installation of a timer on electrical
appliances, especially on lamps, would be very helpful in ensuring that the
electricity would not go wasted.

Dr Ma’amor said consumers should opt for energy-saving electrical appliances
which were easily available on the market.

"Do replace electrical gadgets which have been in use for 10 to 15 years to
ones which are more energy efficient. You can recoup your investment via savings
gained from lower electricity costs in just a few years," said Marimuthu.

He added that the "EnergyStar" label on electrical items should be certified
by the relevant bodies to ensure that they were really power-efficient devices.


Fomca also suggested that the purchase of air-conditioning units be made
according to the size of the area involved as powerful units installed in small
rooms would lead to energy wastage.

Consumers are also advised to set the temperature of their air-conditioning
units to between 24°C and 26°C -- around 24°C during hot weather conditions, and
26°C in rainy weather.

Marimuthu pointed out that switching off electrical items using remote
control or putting such items on "stand-by" mode meant that power was still
being consumed.

Lighting items should be regularly cleaned, he said, adding that using
compact fluorescent lamps were a good idea as they consumed up to 75 per cent
less power than regular lamps in addition to having a much longer lifespan.

"Avoid using the clothes dryer on a sunny day as we're blessed with an
abundance of sunlight. The sun's ultraviolet rays can also kill off germs," said
the Fomca president.

Fomca's tips on how to save energy in homes and offices are available at
http://www.fomca.org.my.