Govt to save $1.2b a year from electricity bills

Government is to save 1.2 billion cedis that would have gone into the payment of electricity bills a year for 15 government buildings in the Ministries area.

This followed the introduction of an energy efficient project that will see the retrofitting of 15 government buildings with energy efficient lighting systems and controls for air-conditioners as well as improving power factor in seven of the buildings.

The project will be used to demonstrate conclusively that end-use energy efficiency measures are financially, economically and environmentally attractive.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy made this known when he exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Netherlands Ambassador, Mr Jaap Van der Zeeuws in Accra on Friday.

The Minister said total cost savings of 1,421 megawatt per hour representing an aggregate reduction of 26 percent of the current total electricity consumption of 5,537 megawatts hour a year.

The total cost savings of 148,000 dollars which is made up of energy costs savings of 99,500 dollars and maximum demand savings of 48,500 dollars a year.

Mr Kan-Dapaah noted that the project when completed would reduce emissions of 1,125 tons of carbon per year or 7,900 tons in seven years.

He appealed to electricity consumers to also adopt similar or same energy efficient measures, adding that: "we should not waste electricity. Wasted electricity inflates our bills and indeed the electricity you waste is the electricity denied your neighbour."

Mr Kan-Dapaah congratulated the Energy Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their hard work and consistency, which has seen the realization of the project.

Officials of Energy Foundation told the GNA that the technology is such that air-conditioners and bulbs automatically switch off when there was no one occupying the offices.

The buildings include the ministries of Finance, Works and Housing, Local Government, Health, Environment, Tourism, Roads and Transport and Foreign Affairs.

Others are ministries of Education, the Interior, EPA and the Accountant-General's Department.