The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Renewable energy advocates are urging Bahamian consumers to "take charge" of their consumption and become more "independent" if they are to lower costs and be more environmentally-friendly.

Philip Feller, general manager of SuperGreen Solutions, speaking at a Democratic National Alliance (DNA) organised meeting on 'energy reform', said: "You have to take charge of your own energy reform by becoming energy independent. We use a lot of energy every single day, whether it's in our home or whether it's in our business.

"Energy is a resource that is invisible, and many times we don't know how much we use until we get the bill at the end of the month and we think that the meter has got to be wrong. This may be true in some cases, but many times we just don't realise where we use energy and how much we use."

Mr Feller added: "Let's say you are in the process of getting a mortgage, or planning a renovation or doing an addition in your house. Don't go for the maximum square footage of home that you can build or renovation that you can complete, or putting in the fanciest, finest European finish.

"Think about energy efficiency. Talk to your contractor, architect, engineer and ask the tough questions. What do you want your electricity bill to be when you've done your project? If you already have a high electricity bill and you want to look what can I do to reduce my electricity bill, here are some examples."

Mr Feller explained: "Install attic installation. Install solar attic fans. Get rid of that heat that's trapped in your attic. That kind of heat means that you are going to be more uncomfortable. It means you are going to have an AC running more often, which means you power bills are going to be higher.

"Integrate shade covers over windows. Align your house and windows with the wind-sill that we have in the Bahamas. A big south facing window is beautiful, but unless it's covered that's going to be a lot of extra heart in your house.

"LED lighting. That's a simple thing. LEDs are ten times more efficient than your regular light bulb. Replace them all. Hot water. Why do we keep a body of water hot for 24 hours a day if we only use it for ten minutes? Go to a tank-less, go to a solar hot water heating. Much more efficient."

Mr Feller also advised consumers to "look for energy star appliances. That's going to be your best buck right there. The money you spend on efficiency right now will translate to more money in your pocket instead of on your electricity bill".

Turning to solar power, he warned: "One thing about solar is reduce before you produce. Don't go producing solar power if you have an inefficient house. Get your house or your business efficient and then talk about solar and talk about batteries.

"Solar is an excellent clean energy source for us in The Bahamas because it is very predictable. We know exactly how many hours of sun we'll get in January down to December. We can size a system based on your electricity bill, based on the installation angle, to tell you exactly what your electricity bill will be like with a solar system installed.

"So if you want a solar system for your home, we have to ask a couple of questions: Are you going to be home during the day time? If no one is at home during the day time then it makes no sense to install a solar system because the power will just go back to BPL.

"Can I shift some of the loads in my home to run in the day time? Think of things like a pool pump. If you have a pool that runs, and it should only run in the day time, can you programme an air-conditioner to make your house nice and cool so when you come home after work it's already cool from solar power. Laundry, do it in the day time. Cleaning, do it in the day time."

"The other thing is do you need batteries. Do you want back-up power when BPL goes off? Of course we want back up power," said Mr Feller. "If you want to reduce your bill by more than 50 percent you have to add batteries so you can store your power and use it for yourself at night.

"As a business it's a little different. Many businesses operate in the day time. So you can, without using any batteries, grid-tie a solar system and eliminate 75 to 100 percent of your bill, because when everyone goes home at night a 5pm or 6pm, you shut the lights off and shut the AC off and there is hardly any energy use. For businesses it's a great opportunity to go solar."