Be Eco-Friendly
to take the bull by the horns, especially in this present environment.” The environment he speaks of is Jamaica’s current energy situation that seems to be on a downward spiral. With fuels costs constantly climbing and a dollar that continues to trend downwards, it is a worrying situation and Chang, who has in the past few years become the face and voice of renewable energy in Jamaica, says he has to stay on top of it, mainly by holding the policymakers accountable for the promises they have made. According to the Jamaica Petroleum Corporation, in 2008 Renewable Energy accounted for 9% of the Jamaican power supply. The Jamaican National Energy Policy expects that figure to be 12.5% by 2015 and aims for 20% by 2030. But what is the current status that the average Jamaican is living with? According to Chang there are two sides to this equation, one is our energy conservation and efficiency and the other side is the generation. The notion that a lot of people have is that their light bills are in direct proportion to where they actually reside, he said, is a big falsehood. “No, you do not pay depending on where you live. You do not pay $3,000 for Vineyard Town, $7,500 for the Red Hills Road area and over $20,000 for Cherry Gardens. Nothing of the kind exists. Your rate that you pay for electricity is the same regardless of where you live. It is the same rate, same kind of meter, same everything.” The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company he stated, has a two-tiered system that covers all of its customers. The lower tier holds low income earners and these customers pay a subsidised rate of $6.35 per kilowatt hours. Everyone else falls into the second tier and pays $14.52 per kilowatt hours. These rates are set by the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) every five years. Where it gets dicey, is in relation to your fuel and IPP (Independent Power Producer) costs, this is where your bill fluctuates. Add to that the other critical component, such as a fast-devaluing Jamaican dollar, then the figure on your light bill seems to be ever increasing. The current dilemma is he said that as a result of political mismanagement over the years and overall bad decisionmaking process. Experts in the energy fields have told Chang that little can be done to bring down the cost of electricity to householders with any significance. So which way do we go? These same energy experts are leaning towards the usage of coal or a Petroleum Coke (known as ‘petcoke’) plant as a possible solution. Petcoke is a carbonaceous solid which is over 90 percent carbon and emits 5 to 10 percent more carbon dioxide than coal on a per-unit-of-energy basis when it is burned. Petcoke has a very high energy content. The coal is not the tree burning kind we know from the ‘slash and burn’ method that was rampant in the hillsides of Jamaica, but rather that which is mined from the earth. However, this is not produced in Jamaica. Added to this is the current state of government discussions which is basically stagnant according to Chang. Meaning that the best case scenario for any tangible progress may take up to five years and for consumers to actually feel the benefits it can add up to another five years. “In the last 40 years, our bills have increased on average 10% a year and for persons living on a fixed income that has been more than burdensome. This is why I have to hold the policymakers accountable for the promises they make, and try to get them to stick to their deadlines when they say information will be given to us. Oftentimes pronouncements are made but there is little or no follow up.” So how do you conserve and still continue to live well in these times? For Chang some things are simple ‘no brainer’ guidelines that with a little knowledge and awareness more people can take action and see it reflected monthly in their bill. Or if they so desire they can remove themselves off the grid completely. The first rule, he said, is understanding and accepting that the more you consume the more you pay. For low income families, a fridge and fan are probably the two largest contributors to a high energy bill, so controlling these will keep more money in their pockets.
Places & Spaces
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