KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Jamaicans are being encouraged to continue practising energy-conservation and efficiency methods, even as the cost of electricity continues to trend downwards.

This urging came from Director of the Energy Economics and Planning Unit, Energy Division, Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, Yvonne Barrett-Edwards, during a workshop being held at the Hotel Four Seasons in Kingston, today (December 6).

The three-day energy workshop is put on by the ministry, in partnership with Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and Global Affairs Canada.

“Already we have seen that although electricity has gone down, persons are using it as an opportunity to get water heaters, air-conditioning units and other equipment. So, we are seeing an increase in the consumption of electricity,” she said.

Energy conservation measures include plugging your electronic equipment into a power strip and turning off the power strip when leaving home, or when the equipment is not being used; reducing the amount of time spent using the fan, and when not at home, unplugging the fan; turning off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use; turning computers and printers off at the power strip; and replacing air-conditioning filters.

“We have to stick to these measures as much as possible,” Barrett-Edwards implored.

In the meantime, she said the ministry is working assiduously to ensure that the guidelines set out under the National Energy Policy are met. The policy sets a target of having 20 per cent of the country’s energy being generated by renewables by 2030.

“Currently, we are about 15 per cent, because we just, this year, commissioned two wind plants and we have not yet commissioned the only solar plant in the region; but, certainly, the contributions to the Jamaica Public Service Company have been recorded,” she said.

Barrett-Edwards added that the three plants, with a total capacity of 80 megawatts, have increased the country’s renewable-energy contribution to the grid.