Salam
and a very good day everyone! How are you doing so far in the first month of
2014? I hope that every one of you can cope well with the change of climate
happening in our world right now. Sadly, I believe that unexpected occurrences
such as natural disasters recently were major signs from Mother Nature that we
need to change our habits and lifestyle that contributed to so many incidences.
Perhaps the littlest change that we can provide to the surrounding will ensure
a better environment to the earth’s citizen. This can be simply done if we can
create the awareness about the public regarding our current lifestyle and
energy consumption.
To
research deeper on public’s conception of energy efficiency, I managed to interview
some of my friends about their lifestyles and routines at home, in college or
at work. Mind you that these people are ranging from 20-25 years old respondents
studying or working in Kuala Lumpur. Amirul, a 23 years old Universiti Putra
Malaysia (UPM) student said that he knows about the basics of renewable energy
sources such as solar energy and hydropower based on the knowledge gained in
school. He also recycles his garbage every once in a while and practices energy
efficiency effort at his home. Amirul rents a double-storey house in Serdang
Selangor with 14 other students and they have been staying there for almost two
years.
 |
| Amirul Syahmee, 23 years old. |
When
asked about the electricity bill at their house, Amirul said that he is aware
of the 1% additional charge to the Renewable Energy Fund because the house’s
energy consumption exceeds RM 77 or 300 kWh every month. Amirul gets really
concerned with the matter so he explained that he always reminded his
housemates to save energy. Among the steps taken by the boys at the house are:
-Turning
off the fans and light when not in use,
-Operating
the washing machine only with full load,
-Using
energy efficient refrigerator and washing machine and
-Carpooling
to classes with classmates.
 |
| An example of a house they rented. |
It
is interesting to learn that the boys are willing to change their habits and
support energy efficiency effort in the house. Now let us read what Najeha, 24
years old from Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur
has to say. Najeha is very lucky because the monthly bill at her house in Kuala
Pilah, Negeri Sembilan has never exceeded RM 77, therefore her household is not
contributing to the Renewable Energy Fund administered by SEDA Malaysia. This
is due to the fact that she practices energy efficiency measures at her home with
her parents and siblings.
 |
| Noor Najeha, 24 years old. |
She rarely turns on the air-conditioner inside her
room because she prefers to use the fan instead. As a trainee teacher at a
primary school in Kuala Lumpur, she always advised her students to save energy
in the classroom. She will always remind her students to turn off the fan when
they are leaving the classroom because they need to be educated from young.
These are the simple steps taken by Najeha in order to promote energy
efficiency awareness among her students and she hopes that they will continue
the good habit forever.
Let
us connect energy efficiency awareness with renewable energy sector in Malaysia
because both can contribute in “greening” and “cooling down” the earth. In 2011, Sustainable Energy
Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia is formed under the Sustainable Energy
Development Authority Act 2011 [Act 726] and SEDA Malaysia becomes the
implementer of the Feed-in Tariff program for the development of renewable
energy effort in Malaysia. Malaysia’s Feed-in
Tariff system requires the Distribution Licensees (DLs) such as Tenaga Nasional
Berhad to buy from renewable energy producers the electricity produced by them.
FiT rates are set by SEDA Malaysia with approval from KeTTHA to pay for the
renewable energy supplied to the electricity grid for a specific duration. By
having access to the grid and setting a favorable price per unit of renewable
energy, the FiT mechanism also ensures that renewable energy becomes a viable
and sound long-term investment for companies industries and individuals. This
can happen very easily if consumers are registered under SEDA Malaysia as one
of the producers of renewable energy through solar panels, small hydro power,
biomass and biogas at their homes or private lands.
 |
| Source: www.seda.gov.my |
The
Cabinet has also agreed for the 1% surcharge on consumers’ electricity bills
that has been gazetted and collected from consumers. This 1% surcharge is
needed to achieve the target capacity of renewable energy in the long run. As
of 2013, 1% surcharge is still imposed on all electricity customers and
domestic electricity consumers are obliged to contribute to the surcharge
only if
their monthly electricity consumption exceeds 300 kWh or RM 77 a month. This
money is channelled into the Renewable Energy Fund and administered by SEDA
Malaysia to pay the premium Feed-in Tariff rate to those producers who generate
electricity at homes or in industrial companies. But as of January 2014, this
tariff will increase by 0.6% to be 1.6 % for current electricity users. This
increase will also affect the consumers in Sabah and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan
as they are charged with 1.6% of their electricity bills for the first time. Please refer to www.seda.gov.my for more information.
| www.seda.gov.my |
Alright, now I would like to propose a
challenge for all of you. Let us kick-start February with simple steps to use
energy efficiently. I have provided all of you with some steps and now it is
the time for you to put that all in practice. It does not take so much of your
time and perhaps not burdening at all if you managed to start saving the
energy. Remember that the energy that we are using is not cheap and that is why
we need to start using energy efficiently right now. Take care and God bless;
help us spread the word to green and cool the earth!
