Energy conservation, today

By Vasantha Weerasekera

For how many more years do you think we can zoom around in our cars – our Porsches, Ferraris, Bugattis and the lot? Not for many, you bet.

The experts say we have petroleum for another 25 years at the present rate of consumption but after that? What do we do to stretch this period a little more? As no new oil fields have been discovered, conservation seems to be our best bet to make this 25-year period become at least 50 years!

The recent advent of Hybrids like Prius and Insight have made us realise that conservation of our non- renewable energy sources like gasoline is very, very possible and not all that unpleasant either!

Even though it may not be very noticeable to the public eye, the energy savings in buildings if you construct them in the correct way – to be energy efficient – can be as dramatic and substantial as in the case of these hybrid vehicles.

But are we doing enough? Are we already too late? What is conservation and how do we go about it? In today’s context, these are very pertinent questions.

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Lal Jayamaha, Founder and CEO of LJ Energy of Singapore. A well known expert in the field of Energy Conservation, Dr. Jayamaha counts more that fifteen years of experience in the field of Energy Conservation.

He has worked in China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer (UK) and a Professional Engineer (Singapore) and now lives in Singapore. He is also a Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

I asked him to explain to us how and where conservation can be most effective.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that energy conservation can be applied to almost every aspect of our lives but on a macro scale, energy conservation can be most rewarding in buildings such as shopping malls, hospitals, hotels and industrial plants.

For example you have an old building that is running up a huge electricity bill every month. That may be due to inefficient air-conditioning system, under-utilisation of available natural light making electric lights necessary, defective control systems etc. Here an energy audit can be done to find out the vulnerable areas where substantial amount of energy may be wasted.

On the other hand, you may be planning to construct a new building and need to know how to design the building to be energy efficient. Out of the two cases, making an old building energy efficient can be more of a challenge as the building is already in occupation. Once the building is made energy efficient, it can qualify for energy efficiency and green building ratings such as LEED and Green Mark which is compulsory in some countries.

In either case, after Dr. Jayamaha is done with you, your energy savings will astound you. In some cases the electricity cost alone had come down by more than 30%!

This is not a case of money alone. We have a moral obligation to safeguard our world for the next generation. We have jeopardised it by our conspicuous consumption of our natural resources such as fossil fuel so now we must make a determined effort to make amends. Making energy efficient buildings is not only good for the bottom line of the company but it also makes us more aware of our surroundings, how to make the best use of available light, ventilation, etc.

So, the present-day energy conservation is a little more than switching off the fan/light bulb of the room on leaving it. We have to make a concerted effort to conserve the little natural resources that are remaining. The very life-span of our planet may depend on the corporate responsibility we have to accept.

With a little help and guidance from the likes of Dr. Jayamaha and determination and dedication from our part, this is very possible indeed.