Lowering electricity demand

Short-term policy changes
The following policy changes are meant to be periodic in nature. That is, during some part of the year, the policies will be in effect, and in other times these policies will be relaxed.

Dress codes: The Japan Government has recently asked its officials to avoid wearing suits and ties in the office. To lead other ministers and officials in this unconventional energy saving approach, Prime Minister Koizumi himself will not wear a suit and tie to the office this summer. The Japanese government identified that tight collars and suits prompted officials to keep air-conditioners running at the highest capacity throughout their working hours. Considering the strong fascination for suits among Japanese executives, this is a landmark approach to reduce air-conditioner usage (and thereby reduce electricity consumption).

Time adjustments: Developed (and some developing) countries of the world switch back their clocks by one hour sometime late in October and again switch their clocks ahead by one hour sometime in April. This practice, known as "daylight saving time," was conceived by the US in response to the record-breaking energy crisis of 1973. The US government's research has revealed that "daylight saving time" saves 1 percent electricity usage nationwide. This is because evening electricity usage is delayed, as sunset is artificially postponed by an hour. Following the US lead, other countries (e.g., Egypt, Israel, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and many European countries) have adopted this practice to reduce energy consumption.

Fewer days at work: Facing a severe energy crisis in 2001, the Brazil government mandated a four-day work-week for a temporary period. Consequently, there was a 20 percent reduction in government usage of electricity. As summer approaches in Bangladesh, and our energy crisis becomes more severe than ever, the government may consider following Brazil's lead during the extended summer.

Long-term policy changes
The following policy changes have long-term impact. The policies are also meant to be in effect for long periods of time.

Eco-clubs and energy fairs: Utilizing funds from the USAID, India has established eco-clubs at the school level in Ahmedabad. These voluntary clubs meet weekly after school and discuss ways to make residential and general energy consumption more efficient. Periodically, an energy fair is organized where members of various eco-clubs gather to demonstrate their energy saving approaches. Student members of these clubs not only get the training to grow up as more aware citizens, but also tend to apply energy efficient practices in their own homes. The eco-clubs and energy fairs have successfully curbed residential electricity usage in Ahmedabad.

Efficient energy fund: The State of California in the US faced an acute energy crisis in 2001. By making firm policy changes and cutting back on many normal luxuries of life, California has successfully overcome its energy crisis. California introduced a public goods charge in the amount of 1 percent of consumers' electric bills. The capital generated from this tax was used to fund energy conservation programs of utility companies. These conservation programs include special discounts on energy-efficient appliances and sophisticated energy-metering technologies. Recently, China has considered assessing a similar tax to fund the efforts of revitalizing its inefficient power plants and other systems.

Personal habit changes
The following personal habits are common comforts of the most elite groups in our society. They pay fair price for their electricity; when blackouts happen, they use generators run on fuel for which they have paid fair price. The problem with this kind of inconsiderate use of electricity and/or fuel (for generators) is that many others are simply priced out against these elite groups and cannot avail themselves of much needed electricity and/or fuel. Farmers are the classic sufferer of this type. Electricity shortage propels several thousand homes to run their machineries on fuel-run generators. As a result, this very fuel cannot reach farmers who are then unable to irrigate their fields at the appropriate time, resulting in massive destruction of crops nationwide. With summer approaching fast, few voluntary sacrifices could have such a positive overall energy conservation effect as to persuade these groups to limit their use of private generators even on a limited basis.

Limit use of air conditioners: Let us assume that we have 10,000 residences that have 2 air-conditioners or air-coolers on average. Let us also assume that each machine consumes on average 1.5 kilowatts per hour. If these machines are running even 8 hours a day in these residences, the total electricity consumption becomes 240 megawatts. Running the air-conditioners for an hour in the morning and another hour before sleeping would mean some level of discomfort for the elite groups, but it would noticeably alleviate the electricity needs in the capital city.

Limit ironing: Ironing is standard practice in almost all middle-class homes. Most irons use at least 1 kilowatt per hour. For the sake of calculations, if 100,000 homes in Dhaka have irons and the average daily usage is for 30 minutes, then daily electricity consumption from ironing is roughly 50 kilowatts.

Given our current energy crisis, ironing is a luxury that we cannot afford right now (except on special occasions). Most clothes will be almost wrinkle-free if they are hung to dry without wringing them. For clothes that must be ironed, a 10-minute ironing will straighten them out.

Avoid geysers: The dictionary definition of geyser (secondary meaning) is "a gas-operated hot-water heater." The irony with geysers in Bangladesh is that the ones that are used in luxury homes are all electricity-run machines. Assuming that some 10,000 geysers run for at least one hour per day, the total electricity consumption would be about 30 megawatts (since geysers consume about 3 kilowatts per hour). Unfortunately, the cost of electricity generated heat is four times higher than oil generated heat. Thus, for all our water heating needs, we are far better off when we boil water on the stove in the old fashioned way.

Some of the energy saving ideas discussed in this article are already in use in different countries. Bangladesh cannot adopt all of the above-mentioned changes. But, if Dhaka city can adopt just one of these suggestions, it would set the tone of energy consumption for the rest of the country. And, if one change positively affected our energy conditions, it would not be long before many other conservation methods are implemented.

Noushi Rahman, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Management, Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York.