CCCI leading the way in energy conservation

In the light of the rising energy costs, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry is initiating moves to encourage energy conservation in homes and offices.

Feeling the power shortage crunch, the business community is likewise calling on the government to act on ensuring the power security of the province in the coming years.

As reported in the first quarter of this year, power reserves in Cebu, Negros, and Panay are already running low and insufficient to cope with the rising demand with no new sources in the pipeline. By 2010, peak demand is expected to reach 900 MW, with an average dependable capacity of only 746 MW.

In Metro Cebu alone, the Visayan Electric Company, Inc. projected to incur a deficit of nearly five MW by September to over 28 MW by 2010.

However, with the completion of the first of three 82 MW coal-fired power plants of the Cebu Energy Development Corporation, Cebu’s power supply situation is expected to stabilize in 2010.

CEDC is a consortium made up of Global Business Power Corp., Formosa Heavy Industries and Abovant Holdings, a joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and Vivant Corporation.

To instill the culture of energy conservation among consumers, CCCI gathered suggestions from its member companies to impart their fuel and energy saving measures and came up with 20 practical ways that can be applied in the household and in the workplace.

Some of these tips include turning the lights off whenever leaving a room, using a compact fluorescent light bulb, which uses less electricity and lasts 10 times longer than incandescent lamps, buying an energy efficient refrigerator unit that uses 50 percent less energy, using a microwave oven instead of a conventional one and ironing clothes in bulk.

Other than that, car owners are encouraged to give their units a break and combine trips whenever possible or use mass transit, walk or bike because leaving a car at home for two days is seen to save 1, 590 pounds of gas emission each year.

They also urge a workplace to consider employees to use laptop computers than standard units to save up to 90 percent less energy. Inkjet printers are also recommended because it uses 90 percent less energy than laser printers as well as flat-panel computer monitors as it cost more lifetime energy.

Workplaces are also advised to implement paper-reducing strategies such as double-side printing, reusing paper and using emails instead of sending memos or faxing documents as it conserves energy as well as conserves other environmental resources.

“The key to energy saving is to know how much you are using, where it goes and when you are using more than you think you should,” the chamber said in a statement.