Inspired by the principles and objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, SNV, a global development partner based in Netherlands, organized an Energy Efficiency (EE) Awareness training for media practitioners across Lango, Acholi, and central Uganda.
The two-day training held in Gulu City aimed to equip media practitioners with vital information on energy efficiency, which refers to using less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result.
During the training, Mr. Etunganan Jacob, an Energy Efficiency Expert at IMEU, emphasized the importance of utilizing renewable energy sources like solar power, hydropower, bioenergy, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. He also highlighted that energy-efficient homes, buildings, and manufacturing facilities use less energy to heat, cool, run appliances and electronics, and produce goods.
“… that means the purpose of Energy Efficiency is to ensure that you reduce energy cost, two build our resilience as house households/ business and three to reduce on the emission and those emissions are carbon dioxide…” Mr. Etunganan explains.
Mr. Etunganan further noted that there is a need to make use of better technologies that will use less energy to do the same amount of work, urging the community to be cautious when choosing low-priced appliances as they may end up paying more in the long run due to additional operating costs.
Energy efficiency provides various benefits, including avoided energy costs, avoided carbon emissions, job creation, and enhanced profits.
To ensure that the public enjoys these benefits, journalists are encouraged to take the lead in advocating for energy efficiency and promoting its implementation through the Inclusive Markets for Energy Efficiency in Uganda (IMEU) project.
IMEU Pull Up Banner (Courtesy Photo)
The IMEU is a four-year project that will develop sustainable, inclusive markets for appropriate energy-efficient products and services for households, businesses, and institutions in agriculture and the built environment.
Its aim is to enhance livelihoods of the people in Uganda and increase the resilience and competitiveness of businesses. The project runs from 2021 to 2025.
Some possible energy efficiency actions for households and businesses include using energy-efficient lights like LED, switching off lights when not needed, adopting occupancy sensors and photocells to control lights, using translucent sheets on roofs to maximize daylight, using turbo-ventilators for extracting exhaust air, using energy-efficient motors and compressors, leveraging time-of-use tariff reductions, ensuring regular maintenance of machines and equipment, using dry and billeted wood for biomass boilers, and reducing maximum power demand using a capacity bank.
With the necessary knowledge and skills gained from the training, media practitioners are expected to promote energy efficiency in Uganda, leading to significant energy savings, reduced carbon emissions, and economic benefits for households and businesses.
