The slow conformance of the country to international best practice on the efficient use of electricity has cost the country a whopping $84.9m annually on wasted energy.
This was revealed by Mr. Etiosa Uyigie, the National Programme Coordinator on Energy Efficiency Programme of United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) at an event organized by the delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria with the theme: ‘Energy efficiency’ in Lagos last week.
Speaking on the theme: Promoting energy efficiency- best practices for National Development and Environmental Sustainability, Mr. Etiosa said that it might be surprising to know that developed countries like the United Kingdom, France, Sweden and others consume less electricity if measured bit for bit with Nigeria because of their conformance to international best practice of using energy efficient appliances and making sure the appliances were switched off when not in use.
According to him, “it is not uncommon to see electric bulbs and other appliances on during the day, this is unacceptable because they waste energy and emits green houses gas into the atmosphere, a phenomenon that is against the environmental sustainability which we are preaching”.
He advised Nigerians to go for energy efficient appliances and inculcate the culture of putting off their electrical appliance when not in use.
He also noted that the culture of imbibing international best practice in the efficient usage of energy in Nigeria had not been given enough awareness and promised that UNDP was going out of its way to see that the awareness is created in the minds of Nigerians through seminars, television programme, training, etc.
He concluded by saying that “energy efficiency does not mean not using energy but conserving energy and when energy is conserved, energy is generated, therefore energy efficiency is a form of energy generation”. So if Nigerians will develop the culture of using energy- efficient appliances and putting off the appliances when not in use, the problem of power would have been reduced to a great length.
Also speaking at the event is Dr Charles Diara, the head of unity energy efficiency, Nigeria energy support programme (NESP) who centered his presentation on the measures of sustaining energy efficiency and management.
He said that the energy efficiency, is such an important and very topical issue to ignore, and that is why NESP is partnering with many associations in Nigeria like MAN, SON, NACCIMA,SMEDAN, NAPTIN, etc to create more awareness about energy efficiency and build human capacity.
He beckoned on the government to make favourable policies to the energy efficient cause and urge Nigerians to tap into the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), a joint venture by ECOWAS member-nations to improve energy efficiency process in the country.
