Energy conservation plan: staggered holidays for industry proposed

The Energy Conservation Plan presented to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has proposed staggered weekly holidays for industry, replacement of all billboards/hoardings with solid state lights and two weekly holidays in government offices to save 700-850MW electricity with a view to effectively dealing with a serious power crisis in the country.
Sources told Business Recorder that energy conservation plan prepared by the Planning Commission is expected to be submitted before the special meeting of the Cabinet for approval and implementation. The proposed energy conservation measures included gradual replacement of ordinary lights with solid lights and gas geysers with solar geysers or instant gas geysers to reduce the current domestic and commercial demand of power by 2500MW and of gas by 500 MMCFD.
The proposed measures stipulate that marriage halls and commercial establishments should change their illumination to solid-state lighting if they want to operate after sunset. These measures also underscore the need for converting high profile buildings to solar and solid-state lighting especially in President's House and Prime Minister's Secretariat, offices of Federal Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, Provincial Ministers and all other government offices. Excessive illumination on highways and motorways is proposed to be reduced through spacing and a phased replacement by solid state lights.
The government should expedite the promulgation of "Pakistan Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill, 2011" which has already been cleared by the relevant Standing Committee of National Assembly and is now on the floor of Parliament for approval and enactment.
The phased replacement of major roads, streets and park, lights with solid state lighting and all existing lights replaced in routine maintenance should be solid-state lighting. No new street lighting may be installed unless it is solid-state lighting or solar. In various countries, solid-state lighting is often used in traffic lights and is also used frequently in modern vehicle lights, street and parking lot lights and train marker lights, etc.
The implementation of building code, prepared in consultation with all stakeholders and is now pending for formal notification by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), would help reduce energy demand in medium- and long-term.
The Enercon has taken an initiative to promote solar energy vendors market through an effort to solarize the telecom towers and billboards. In a series of consultative meetings with the industry/cellular operators, it was agreed that in future all new telecom towers would utilise renewable energy as primary source and grid power and diesel as secondary and fall-back sources.
Provincial Environment Protection Agencies (EPAs) would ensure compliance and PTA and others would facilitate through amendment in licensing. The government may seek latest information updates from the telecom industry about their programme of conversion of the existing 30,000 BTS towers.