EDITORIAL – Government light of the way

The current debate about spiralling electricity bills has dramatically focused our minds on the necessity to conserve energy and to look at alternative sources.
The Barbados Light & Power, after a quarter of a century wait, received a rate increase last year; and this, combined with the rise in VAT, has been digging deep into the pockets of most.    
And so it is welcome news that Government is in the forefront of the crusade for energy efficiency. That position was revealed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator D’Arcy Boyce, who launched the Energy Efficiency Awareness Programme earlier this week.
Boyce announced that Government would retrofit its buildings to save on energy costs, and that 15 of those buildings had already been audited.
Modern technology has generated an increasing dependence on electrical power, and the computer, added to other creature comforts, including the air conditioner and the refrigerator, has increased electricity use by virtually every hand. Concurrently, the ability to use electricity carefully and efficiently is also within the reach of every user.
The campaign for more efficient use is therefore of prime importance as we endeavour to save valuable foreign exchange.
Government’s previous tax incentive programme, in respect of solar water heaters and the recurring savings in foreign exchange, has worked well. All householders now must be encouraged to place photovoltaic panels on their roofs to facilitate the delivery of electricity for domestic use and sale of excess to the national grid.
It is praiseworthy that there is to be a targeted exchange of incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs and the installation of power monitors for residential meters. Householders may more properly engage in energy saving.
We have the sun, almost all year round, and we have wind.
We must focus our minds on ways in which we can use these elements to their maximum potential. The careful and harnessed use of the sun and wind must be the next step in our journey toward full energy efficiency and affordability.
We can do it, and Government is right to lead the way.