In response to worries about high energy costs, the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, has advocated the use of photocell technology in electrical installations as a method to cut out any needless electricity use to assist in lower their energy bills.
Oscar Amonoo-Neizer spoke to Citi News on the sidelines of the Western Zone Energy and Resource Management training course for selected MMDAs and enterprises in Takoradi.
He stated that a UNDP-Ghana Statistical study on issues impacting hotels, for example, revealed that almost 70% of business costs were attributed to energy use, necessitating the installation of photocell technology in addition to other best practices.
“Some of these best practices are the use of photocells, which would be me up help you to use the electricity wisely. Others are to put a stop to wrong practices where you keep certain electrical appliances on unduly for longer periods.“
Mr. Amonoo-Neizer further stated that the UNDP-supported 6-regional training workshop on Energy and Resource Management for selected MMDAs and enterprises will assist big energy customers in cost savings for reinvestment.
He also emphasized the Energy Commission’s plans to eliminate the Ghanaian market of any defective electrical products and fittings.
“Our plan is to educate the public on being able to embrace the use of more efficient electrical appliances and try to discourage them from using less efficient appliances, and that is why we started with banning used refrigerators, and we are expanding that into other used electrical appliances,“ he noted.
Stephen Kansuk, the UN Development Programme’s Head of Environment and Climate, told Citi News that his organization is launching an inclusive MSMEs support program that includes $700,000 funding for the Energy Commission’s six regional training workshops on Energy and Resource Management for selected MMDAs and businesses.
According to a 2020 research undertaken by the Ghana Statistical Service in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, MSMEs and other enterprises were significantly damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and required resilience against repeated setbacks.
Hotels, for example, spend 60-70 percent of their operational costs on energy and resources and hence require support in adopting best practices in energy and resource use to decrease costs, resulting in the UNDP’s inclusive program that focuses on three areas namely
