Conserving energy

We need to make use of the immense daylight we are blessed with by the nature

We, as a nation, do need to change some of our bad habits – especially in these times of unprecedented economic crisis. One of the bad habits we so very stubbornly stick to is rising late, which in fact means failing to make use of the immense daylight we are blessed with by the nature. We rather take pride in our night life – despite being an energy-starved nation. We wait for the sun to set before we step out of our homes: for shopping, for eating, for picnicking, and even for jogging. There used to be times when we had wedding gatherings in the day; but now those holding nuptial celebrations before sunset are thought of as backward. Business activities, in big cities in particular, routinely start around midday to run well after the dusk – even close to midnight in many cases, such as eateries.

That this bad habit is costing us dear goes without saying – and that too at a time when we need to conserve energy, and thereby avoid the unnecessary energy bill. Remember the power plants run on the costly oil, getting even costlier due to the high flying dollar. According to Nepra, the cost of fuel for power generation rose to 59% last month. There is thus the need to wholeheartedly accept the federal government’s Energy Conservation Plan whereby restaurants, hotels and markets are to close by 8:30pm and wedding halls by 10pm, while production of incandescent light bulbs and inefficient electricity fans has to be stopped. If the government is to be believed, a proper implementation on the Energy Conservation Plan will save the exchequer Rs62 billion annually.

While the public may not so easily shirk this bad old habit, the government will have to ensure its writ through its administrative machineries all across the country – at least till the prevailing financial crisis subsides. There should be strict penalties on defiance. Also, the high-ups need to keep an eye the police who tend to exploit such exercises for minting money.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2023.

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