A first round of the course has been completed in six varsities in twin cities. PHOTO: FILE
The National Energy Conservation Centre, popularly known as Enercon, has teamed up with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) to impart energy audit courses to engineering students across the country.
Energy audit, a study of energy flows to and from a building or system in order to reduce energy input without degrading output, is not usually offered as a subject at local engineering universities.
In view of energy shortages, it is vital in implementation of energy efficiency measures, according to Enercon officials.
Over 2,000 undergraduate engineering students at 25 Pakistani universities have so far benefitted from the technical sessions on “Energy Audit Tools and Techniques” conducted by Enercon and PEC, said Asad Mahmood, Enercon’s member technical.
The 25 universities include six from the twin cities including the National University of Sciences and Technology’s College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Bahria University and International Islamic University Islamabad.
“At present, Pakistan does not have an energy audit regime, but two separate measures could make energy audits mandatory for at least commercial buildings in the future.
The Pakistan Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill, which Enercon tried to push through the parliament unsuccessfully during the previous government, would have set up a certified energy managers’ organisation had it become law.
However, the upcoming Energy Provisions 2011 for the Building Code of Pakistan, formulated by the PEC, will require newly-established commercial buildings to adopt energy efficiency measures if they have a total connected load of 100 kilowatts and above or a contract demand of 125 kilovolt-amperes.
New buildings that have a conditioned area of 900 square metres or an unconditioned covered area of 1,200 square metres will also have to do the same, according to a draft of the provisions.
The code, which will be applicable nationwide, will be provided legal cover through a Statutory Regulations Order (SRO).
The PEC plans to launch the code in a public ceremony once SRO is finalised. Since energy efficiency measures will have to be audited, the buildings’ owners would either have to hire consultants or create a post for energy auditors, thereby increasing the demand for trained professionals.
Under its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) initiative, PEC has also extended the training courses to engineers registered with it.
CPD is PEC’s attempt to keep engineers up to date with current trends and technologies through seminars and trainings. In return, the engineers earn CPD points, which help them build their portfolio for international engineering accreditation standards.
Undergraduate students undergoing the energy audit training sessions also earn CPD points that they can redeem once they graduate and register with the PEC.
Mahmood said Enercon had also invited provincial energy departments to the university sessions and a few have agreed to jointly conduct energy assessments of commercial enterprises.
“Provincial energy departments lack resources and capacity but if we work together, we can cover the gaps,” Mahmood said. “They will receive on-site training and expertise.”
A first round of university courses, which started in September, has been completed in the federal capital, Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Universities in Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be approached next, Mahmood said.
The training courses programme started in September will engage more final-year undergraduate students in the future. The courses are offered free of charge, but there is a Rs3,000 fee for professionals.
Mahmood said the Energy Conservation Fund — a fund originally set up to promote fuel efficiency in road transport but later extended to support all technical projects for energy conservation and efficiency — has played a vital role in making the training courses a reality.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ