Industry and Government Reap Benefits From Energy Conservation Efforts

Industrial and service sector efforts in energy conservation are paying dividends as evidenced by the savings reported over the last 10 years which have now accumulated to over Kshs 4.4 billion, KAM Chief Executive Ms. Phyllis Wakiaga has said.

She made the remarks during the launch of the KAM Energy Management Awards (EMA) 2016 held today in Nairobi. EMA recognizes enterprises that have made major and sustainable gains in energy efficiency through the application of modern energy management principles and practices, and in the process made significant energy savings and cost reduction.

Since its conception in 2004, the annual event has grown in stature over the years and has come to epitomize joint commitment by the Government and Industry to save energy, money and the environment. EMA Awards now also recognise and award energy efficient buildings and architects and students who develop innovative energy projects.

Ms. Wakiaga lauded all the companies that have consistently participated in EMA which is a reflection of their dedication to implement energy efficiency measures. “These efforts are not in vain. By undertaking the recommended energy efficiency and conservation measures, you are already a winner because you have reduced your energy bill, and improved our environment by reducing the emission of Greenhouse Gases.” She urged those who had not undertaken this journey to do so saying; “Let’s make Kenya more competitive with Innovative Energy Management Initiatives. Let’s make our energy savings bigger, let’s make EMA bigger.”

Delivering the keynote address, Eng. Joseph Njoroge, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment said the government remains committed to support the private sector in enhancing energy efficiency and conservation efforts.  Since 2006, the Ministry has extended an annual grant through KAM’s Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (CEEC) to support energy efficiency and conservation activities.

“We will continue to invest in renewable energy, particularly geothermal, wind and solar to substantially reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate the negative impact of climate change,” he said and urged the private sector to compliment government efforts within the public private partnership framework.

Giving his remarks Dr. John Mutua, Senior Manager Economic Affairs, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said ERC has worked closely with the Government of Kenya and other stakeholders in drawing regulations that would see Kenya go green.

The Energy Management Regulations 2012, requires all facilities consuming above 180,000 Kwh of energy annually to conduct an energy audit with a licensed auditor, and follow through in implementation of 50 percent of the recommendations within 3 years after the audit. The regulation also requires facilities to have in place an energy management committee to overlook energy issues within its facility. The deadline of submission of the audit is September 28, 2015 after which the facility shall attract penalties.

Dr. Mutua commended the efforts by KAM in partnership with Ministry of Energy and DANIDA in facilitating subsidized energy audits across the manufacturing and commercial sectors to meet the regulations. He further stated that ERC is licensing auditors, and audit firms to conduct credible audits. “So far ERC has licensed 18 energy auditing firms and 39 auditors as at August 2015,” he said.

Other than promoting the Feed-in-Tariff as a measure of ensuring affordable energy supply, ERC is also looking into time of day/use tariff which shall promote peak and off-peak charges to the manufacturer’s. “These efforts shall go a long way in ensuring that industries and country at large remains competitive,” said Dr. Mutua.

The EMA Advisory Council will be looking into ways of benchmarking local industry performance in relation to global best practices and set a monitoring and evaluation protocol. “It is time to raise the performance bar and make Kenyan goods and services globally competitive,” said Dr. Mutua.