The UNDP Global Environmental Facility (GEF) says Nigeria’s energy consumption can be reduced drastically if households use energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.
This was contained in the 2011 GEF Project Report signed by Etiosa Uyigue, the National Coordinator, and made available to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.?
The report said households could save about 67 per cent of the energy they use if the use of fluorescent bulbs could be encouraged.
It said that globally, about 60 per cent carbon dioxide emission came from energy generation “which contributes significantly to global warming leading to climate change’’.
GEF said that energy efficiency policy should be put in place to gradually phase out incandescent or yellow bulbs.
“Government policies can be directed to encourage the importation and local production of energy efficiency light bulbs and to reduce the cost of these bulbs.
“Awareness creation is also needed to change the attitude of Nigerians on the need to save energy by using the right technology,’’ it said.?
The GEF report observed that many Nigerians do not put out their outdoor lighting during the day.
“This is very common in commercial and residential areas in many major towns, public institutions and government ministries.
“To influence behaviour in this direction, the government can come up with laws to penalise any defaulter or make policy and legislation to place tax on energy consumption.’’
It said that this would discourage energy wastage in public and private buildings.
The report said that the inability of the Nigerian government to provide potable drinking water for its citizens had encouraged the use of privately-owned water boreholes.
It noted that the machines used in pumping water from boreholes “is an energy intensive machine” and could consume up to 2,000w of electricity.
“These machines exert much pressure on the PHCN facilities, which are vulnerable to system failure,’’ the report said.