KARACHI: Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) supported the decision of the federal government to implement energy conservation policy, which envisages closure of shops by 8pm and wedding halls’ by 10pm in view of the current difficult economic situation. It stated energy efficiency improvements can benefit the entire economy, with direct and indirect effects on economic activity measured by GDP, employment, trade balances, and energy prices.

PBF Secretary General (Sindh) Mustafa Abdullah Baloch said our energy import bill has increased to 28 billion dollars, adding that it continues to increase like this, more difficult situations will arise, he maintained and added energy conservation policy would ensure national saving as the country imports oil and gas, which means that the country would be saving foreign exchange. “PBF suggested that the restaurant timings may extended one hour till 11pm”. Rest is limiting wedding halls and shops timings would be needed of the hour. This would result in a saving Rs62 billion annually.

Mustafa Baloch further said across the world, markets are closed around 6 or 7 pm and Pakistan is the only country that does not use daylight benefits and this pattern cannot be afforded any longer as the country is passing through a difficult economic situation. The current economic situation demands people change habits. If the country has to remain within its own resources, people must change their habits. Even in Gulf countries, which are very rich, markets are closed by 9-10 pm.

In India, for example, air conditioner makers are required to set the default temperature of a new device at 24°C. This means that when a person purchases an air conditioning unit, it will automatically cool to 24°C rather than 22 or 20°C. Consumers have the option to change it, but many do not and thus save energy without even realising it.

Similarly a drought caused an electrical shortfall in Chile in 2007 and 2008. Chile avoided power outages by deploying a package of measures that included public awareness campaigns and a scheme to distribute energy-efficient lighting. The government established long term finances for energy efficiency initiatives, instituted rationing, prolonged daylight saving time, and provided financial incentives for conservation.

Following the 1973 oil crisis, Denmark decreased its susceptibility by drastically reducing its reliance on imported oil, diversifying its energy mix, and implementing an ambitious and comprehensive portfolio of energy efficiency initiatives. Before the crisis, almost all buildings were heated with oil, and the majority of energy was produced with oil. Subsidies and other initiatives lowered the share of electricity generated from oil from 64% to 5% by 1983. “We should telling people that taking these measures is inevitable and Anjuman-e-Tajran should understand that’s it’s required”, neither you people are ready for fix taxation neither you people to support government energy conservation policy. You have to decide at-least one; Baloch lamented.