“The major focus of Energy Week is to increase the general publics’ awareness of energy and their use of it,” explained the Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Marc Bean. “It is about encouraging residents to conserve energy and make more efficient use of it.
“As a Government we need to get the public excited and informed about energy issues. The cost of energy is just the tip of the iceberg…there are so many other reasons to keep energy in the forefront of our minds.
“Therefore I would encourage members of the general public – from homeowners to tenants and small businesses to large guest properties – to attend.”
On Wednesday November 14th the Department of Energy will give a 30 minute presentation on Energy Efficiency and Conservation at 5:30pm in the Cathedral Hall. In this talk the Director of the Department of Energy Jeane Nikolai will discuss the conservation of energy in general, and how energy use defines our modern lives in order to put into context what we need to be doing and why we need to be doing it.
This talk will be directly followed by a brief Prize Giving Ceremony for the winners of the Energy Limbo Competition at 6:15pm, also at Cathedral Hall. Energy Limbo: How Low Can You Go? is an energy cutback competition which saw participants compete for the biggest reduction in their electricity use over the course of almost a year.
Then at 7pm the film Chasing Ice will be shown in Cathedral Hall. Light refreshments will be provided. Chasing Ice is a multiple award winning, powerful documentary about our changing planet, which clearly shows the devastating effects we are having on our own planet through our excessive reliance on fossil fuel generated energy.
On Thursday November 15th from 12.15pm to 1.15pm there will be a Lunch and Learn with BELCO entitled, Understanding Your Energy Bill: Fuel Purchases, Embedded Costs and Inventory which will take place at Cathedral Hall. The Lunch and Learn will explain how an electrical bill is calculated and will also aim to dispel some of the myths and clarify some of the questions consumers may have about their electric bills. It will also detail how BELCO purchases fuel, calculates fuel costs to the consumer, and manages fuel inventory as Bermuda’s primary electrical provider.
To wrap up the week’s activities, on Thursday November 15th from 1:15pm to 2:15pm (directly following the Lunch and Learn in Cathedral Hall) there will be a further presentation by the Department of Energy on Energy Conservation and Efficiency.
“The events which the Department of Energy are hosting during CARICOM Energy Week are important learning opportunities for the general public to increase their knowledge about key issues of energy conservation, efficiency and the costs of energy,” said the Director of the Department of Energy Jeane Nikolai.
“There is a regional need to become more energy independent and also to be more concerted in our efforts. We are among the countries in the world that make the least overall contribution to climate change as we use a relatively miniscule amount of fossil fuels, but yet we will be among the most severely affected areas when sea levels rise due to climate change.
“There is a greater demand for fossil fuels as the developing world moves ahead with electrification, transport, manufacturing and so on, so we need to take steps now to highlight the importance of developing our indigenous resources so that we can continue enjoying the standard of living that we have become accustomed to.
“We need to demonstrate to the rest of the world that we do indeed care about our future, about our sustainability, and that we’re willing to take responsibility for ourselves. The reality is that unless the public is aware of energy matters and unless they are interested, then efforts will fall flat. CARICOM Energy Week is an excellent opportunity to increase that public momentum.”
2012 marks the second year of CARICOM Energy Week.
