Wednesday, 6th January 2010
Energy Conservation is not entirely about cutting down on energy use but more of how energy is spent, said the Dean of Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s (UBD) Faculty of Science yesterday.

Speaking to The Brunei Times on the sidelines of his presentation during the Energy Management Course held at the Institute of Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) building, UBD, Dr. Chee Ming Lim said that while it is true that many people think of reducing usage when it comes to energy conservation, it does not mean that we should compromise safety and comfort.

“It means that you should instead be using energy in a more effective manner. It is not about how little energy you use but how you spend it,” he said.

“It is okay to spend energy if we are getting returns. If we can get one or two dollars in return for energy dollar of energy spent, then we are not wasting it,” said the dean, emphasizing that the underlying principle of energy management is to be cost effective.

Dr. Chee used the opportunity to explain that energy management is an activity aimed at optimizing the use of energy by reducing the energy usage per economic activity.

“Energy management primarily seeks to utilize energy more efficiently without compromising the quality of products, services, safety and environmental aspects,” he said.

 He added that energy management also involves the development of employees’ interest and dedication towards energy efficiency and conservation which will often lead to profitability, in addition to improving the company’s competitive position against competitors through the reduction of operational cost.

“My message is that energy management brings down the cost of their day-to-day operations and production,” said Dr. Chee.

“Most of the time when you talk to the public in terms of power or joules, they will not get the concept. But when we talk in terms of dollars and cents, they become aware,” he added.

During his presentation, the dean also touched on how the gas and oil sector makes up for more than 90 per cent of the Sultanate’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

He added that over 50 per cent of Brunei’s energy is consumed by the transport sector. “This is however a trend that is not unique to Brunei but can be seen throughout the entire world.

“Why is this? Personally I think people now are becoming more affluent and can now afford cars,” said Dr. Chee, adding that he expects the trend to remain until the day the Sultanate develops a public transport system that is efficient and can get passangers to where they want to go, on time and at a minimal cost.

He then touched on a number of factos which he felt was important for the successful implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation.

The first of these was to have improved human resources with enhanced awareness of energy conservation, followed by the establishment of a good energy management system.

There should also be a development of national guidelines and standards to support the practice of energy management, he said.

Melvin Jong
Courtesy of The Brunei Times