More than 3,000 facilities across the
country will be audited to determine their energy usage and efficiency
initiatives as part of the government’s efforts to cut excess spending
on power.
The Energy Regulatory Commission said Monday
it would host a workshop at Strathmore Business School Tuesday to
develop a curriculum that will be used to train auditors on the project.
“The
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is set to monitor of over 3,000
facilities to assess their energy usage and efficiency initiatives.
However, there is a shortage of energy auditors.
This
workshop will lead to the development of the curriculum that will be
used to train and license energy auditors,” read part of a statement by
ERC.
The move is in line with the implementation of the
Energy Management Regulations introduced last year to help the
government curb wastage by imposing penalties on companies that are
inefficient in power consumption.
Threshold
Earlier
this month, the regulator said it would penalise all institutions that
exceed the threshold by imprisonment or a fine of up to Sh1 million.
New
energy management regulations require commercial buildings consuming
more than 180,000 KWH per year to carry out energy audits annually to
optimise consumption.
The audit reports are to be filed with the commission six months after the close of the companies’ annual financial year.
The rules also demand that large consumers of electricity install solar heating systems .
The
campaign mainly targets industrial, commercial and institutional energy
consumers which offer the highest potential for saving energy.
The
regulations will affect institutions such as hotels, hospitals and
schools and are likely to drive up demand for solar heating equipment.
ERC
is also spearheading a fuel economy initiative together with the United
Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) that seeks to promote use of
fuel efficient vehicles.
The programme was launched in August this year and will run for 15 months.
It
will involve updating the vehicle inventory to establish the country’s
average fuel economy which will inform development of policies to
promote fuel efficient vehicles.
The programme is expected to help lower the country’s fuel import bill.
Inn
2012, the value of petroleum products imported into the country
totalled Sh305.6 billion, accounting for 22 per cent of the value of the
country’s total imports
.
.
According to the Kenya
National Bureau of Statistics, last year, the value of petroleum
products imported into the country totalled Sh305.6 billion, accounting
for 22 per cent of the value of the country’s total imports.
During the previous year, petroleum products’ imports were valued at Sh333.2 billion.
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