Energy audit key to saving electricity

The audit, among many things, aims to measure energy use and loss (and there’s been plenty of it) countrywide.
The last audit was done in 2005 but contained numerous inefficiencies, Zera officials said, prompting the need for a new, updated energy efficiency baseline.

The adaptation of the energy sector by strengthening resilience of existing assets and future investments is critical in the climate-energy nexus.
Although statistics are lacking, in Zimbabwe, energy loss through inefficient use is rampant, partly the reason for existing electricity shortages.

It is worse at household level where tariffs are cheap due to heavy Government subsidies while the electricity saving attitude is just deplorable.
Despite frequent power cuts, the majority of both commercial and domestic consumers still don’t understand the real value of saving electricity and paying for energy used.

Zimbabweans roughly pay US2c less for electricity than the regional average of US12c per kilowatt-hour and that is only a recent development following much contest and protest.
Seven years ago, Zimbabweans were paying almost half of the regional average.

Energy efficiency involves the utilisation of less electrical energy to achieve similar benefits, as if more was used.
This can be achieved through various strategies. A good example is Zesa’s recent drive to replace the incandescent bulb with the low-energy fluorescent bulb in 70 000 homes across Zimbabwe. The fluorescent performs the same function as the incandescent bulb but with greater social, economic and environmental benefits. Zesa’s low-energy revolution could save up to 200 megawatts of power, which the company says is enough to light up Harare, as a whole.

But there is still a lot of work to be done here if Zimbabwe wants to achieve the energy efficiency levels necessary to keep greenhouse gas emissions low and support own requirements sustainably.

These strategies may include improving energy efficiency in buildings, industrial activities and accelerating scaling down use of fossil fuels such as coal.
Several energy experts believe such strategies will allow for quick reductions without harming economic growth, while using existing technologies and providing benefits that go beyond carbon emissions.

Buildings are the largest energy consuming sector in the world, and account for over one-third of total final energy consumption and an equally important source of carbon emissions.

Achieving significant energy and emissions reduction in the buildings sector is a challenging but achievable policy goal.
Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira has indicated in previous interviews that the power utility had tabled proposals for a legislation that compels every new commercial building construction to install high energy saving technologies.

These include solar-powered systems to improve the national energy efficiency.
In Europe, countries have adopted policies that set a number of requirements to reach three main targets by 2020 known as 20*20*20, targeted at achieving a 20 percent share of renewables, a 20 percent reduction in emissions, and 20 percent in energy savings.

Countries are required to report to the European Commission every three years detailing their energy savings and the policy measures implemented or planned.
There is therefore a pressing need for a formalised energy efficiency benchmarking to ensure different sectors are performing to expectations and measure which of the plans implemented are most effective, and whether this can be transferred to other industries.

Zera’s planned audit should be able to give us an accurate data-based analysis of the current state of affairs in the energy sector and provide functional sustainable solutions for improving efficiency without compromising economic growth.

There is already a National Energy Policy that aims to grow electricity generation two-fold within the next two decades mainly from thermal and hydro at Hwange, Batoka and Kariba to meet rising demand, with only less than 50 percent being met at peak periods.
All this effort may count to nothing if energy efficiency does not drastically improve.
God is faithful.

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