OPM switches off and saves

Assessing power use and offering energy conservation tips to staff in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has paid off with a decrease in power consumption and an estimated saving of nearly $1000 in its electricity bills for the past month.
The OPM Corporate Services Division and the Renewable Energy Development Division undertook an audit of appliances and equipment being used taking account of occupancy, building airflows, ventilation and lighting systems.
Staff were then given tips to improve their working office environments in order to conserve energy including opening windows and doors to use natural air and light for cooling and light; turning off computers and other equipment when not in use, and limiting the use of air conditioners.
Prime Minister Hon Henry Puna said that the OPM effort was particularly encouraging coming as it does on the eve of tomorrow’s Earth Hour when the Cook Islands will join the rest of the world to voluntarily switch off of all non-essential lights and appliances for one hour from 12pm-1-pm.
“The switch off is to send a message across the globe that we are all aware and fighting the war against climate change by reducing our energy consumption for one hour.” He reiterated thethat the switch off was part of the Government’s drive to make the country a ‘leader in the green stakes’.
“Of particular note is that the OPM energy conservation exercise involved no cost other than a strong awareness message to staff. They initiated the rest and the results speak for themselves.”
Prime Minister Puna said he would encourage all other government departments to do their bit and to follow the lead of OPM by auditing their equipment and buildings and looking at practical easy ways to conserve energy, fight climate change and save money.
And though this Friday’s ‘Earth Hour’ is a kind reminder to switch off and participate in this week’s event, it is also a chance to make a permanent change.
Joining the National Environment Service this year to organise Earth Hour are the Renewable Energy Development Division (REDD) and the Climate Change Coordinating Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister with support from Te Aponga Uira (TAU). TAU will monitor the electricity load on Friday during Earth Hour to measure how much the Cook Islands has contributed to the global conservation effort.

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