The government is ready to launch an energy saving campaign by reducing its water and energy consumption through a 10-percent cut in the use of subsidized fuel oil by its agencies and offices, a senior minister said.
“With regard to fuel oil, we must have the courage to cut its consumption in government agencies and offices by 10 percent,” Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said after a coordination meeting on energy saving matters here Tuesday.
Through the energy saving campaign, the government also wanted to achieve a 25-27 percent reduction in the use of electricity for which the energy and mineral resources ministry had already prepared the needed technical guidelines, Hatta said.
“We will of course publicize this energy saving campaign whereas all government ministries and provincial administrations will each initiate campaigns within their respective ranks throughout the country,” he said.
Hatta said, according to an Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry report, if implemented consistently, the effort to cut electricity consumption alone would result in a saving of up to Rp2.5 trillion per year, not to speak of the savings from the reduction in energy and water consumption.
The minister said governmental institutions must take the lead in and be the initiators of energy saving acts, starting with small things such as turning off the lights of vacant rooms.
“Energy saving should become a culture. It can begin with the simple habit of switching off the lights when leaving a room,” Hatta said.
When using an air conditioner, the device should not be set at extremely low temperatures like 20 degrees but at the moderate level of 25 degrees, “It is as easy as wearing batik (Indonesian traditional fabrics) every Friday,” he said.
A task force would be formed to monitor the implementation of the energy saving efforts, Hatta added.
He said he would expect every civil servant and his or her family to participate and be active in the energy saving campaign.
“We must make energy saving measures a habit and eventually it will become a culture,” Hatta said.
