Tower C to save $$ by turning off lights

A simple act of turning the lights off at Tower C in the International Waterfront Centre in Port of Spain could save the nation about $350,000 a year.

This was the statistic was given by Andre Escalante of Energy Dynamics, an energy conservation consulting company who, along with the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Inter-American Development Bank launched the energy audit and retrofit of the tower at the Public Utilities Ministry head office in One Alexandra Place, St Clair on Wednesday.

The launch revealed findings of an audit on the energy consumption of the building and indicated initiatives which the Public Utilities intends to use to reduce energy consumption in the building.

Escalante indicated on a daily basis the building consumes 650 kilowatts each hour at its peak and 400 kilowatts per hour at its base.

Escalante pointed out that all the lights in the building remain on 24 hours a day.

However the lights was not where most of the building consumed its energy. The utility which uses the lion’s share of electricity was the air conditioning.

Escalante said 47 per cent of the buildings energy is consumed by powering the air conditioning units, which are never turned off either. The rest of the consumption is divided by the lights and by electronic items.

In the next phase of the initiative, the ministry and cohorts will seek to retrofit the building with energy saving bulbs, timers to automate the turning on and off of lights and AC units, and an information drive will be launched internally, which would educate each tenant in the building about energy consumption and conservation.

The entire initiative hopes to reduce energy consumption by a minimum of 29 per cent, a reduction in the energy bill of the building by 20 per cent, and to reduce the building’s carbon emissions by more than 4000 tonnes per year.

It was also pointed out that the way the building uses energy is indicative of how the nation consumes power. It was revealed that TT with the lowest energy rates, consumes 40 per cent more power than any other island in the Caribbean.

Minister of Public Utilities Robert Le Hunte in commenting on the current situation with Tower C, lauded the efforts of the three stakeholders and said the launch of the project would mark a paradigm shift in the way the nation uses energy. He said the initiative for Tower C was a pilot project that would be used as a proof of concept for other government buildings. He added that while the initiative will be rolled out to government buildings efforts to consume less energy would extend across the nation.

“Government will work with the Private Sector, inclusive of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), to boost competitiveness and improve technological capabilities through the implementation of relatively low-cost energy efficient systems. In addition to this, and following consultation with industry, Government will encourage all “high energy-intensity” users to

perform energy audits in order to determine their level of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and their level of efficiency, specifically as it relates to their use of natural gas.”

He added the efficient use of would lead to decreased costs for the individual to about 25 per cent, benefit the national economy by creating over 4000 jobs, and save TT close to $1.2 billion in energy bills by 2030. He also said using less energy will save more energy and increase our reserves for future use.

“These factors make a convincing argument for energy efficiency and conservation. In fact, I call them a win-win-win! A win for the consumer, a win for the country, and a win for future generations!”

“These benefits will only materialize, however, if we all get on-board the energy efficiency and conservation bus! They require a change in our attitudes and behaviour, not just at the Governmental or Ministerial levels, but in every sector and at every level of our society.”

While a specific time for the retrofitting was not given as conversations are still being held with IDB, Energy Dynamics officials said the education drive can begin as soon as next week.