As Ghana’s exploitable hydro power capacity is fast declining, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP) has appealed to Ghanaians to develop the habit of energy conservation.

Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah, the sector Minister made this appeal yesterday at the launch of an energy conservation guidelines for Senior High Schools in Ghana titled: “Your Guide to Energy Conservation: Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Environment.”

This is part of the MoEP’s National awareness campaign on energy efficiency and Conservation.

Speaking at the ceremony, he said the exploitable hydro capacity yet to be developed stands at 1,200 Megawatts –thus forcing government to resort to more expensive ways of power generation just to meet the “ever growing demand for electricity – which is growing at more than 10% per annum.”

He, however, assured that the government was working very hard to solve the power rationing conundrum that Ghanaians have been experiencing over the last two years.

Notwithstanding the efforts made by government at resolving the power crisis, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah believes more could also be done by the public to save the situation through the adherence of the energy efficiency and conservation guidelines which would go a long way to save about 200MW of power that is being wasted annually.

“Whilst energy shortages and the growing demand can be addressed by adding generation capacities to the system, energy efficiency and conservation presents the best means of making energy available to the people for all economic activities,” he noted.

“Use the right appliances and more importantly we have to be very judicious in the use of electricity –turn it off when we don’t need it,” he urged.

The book

The book, titled –“Your Guide to Energy Conservation: Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Environment,” is a reader friendly book produced under the auspices of the MoEP, as part of its efforts to create awareness amongst the youth on issues of energy conservation.

The book, which had been prepared for usage among students of Senior High Schools (SHS) in Ghana was launched at the Labone SHS in Accra yesterday.

It presents tips on the need and methods of energy efficiency and conservation in the home. The book will be distributed to all SHSs throughout the country.