Makarim Batterji Okaz It is quite disturbing to see that the practice of wasting electricity in the Kingdom does not only occur in residential homes but also in government and private offices and facilities. Unfortunately, some of these offices unnecessarily run their electrical appliances, including air-conditioners and lights, throughout the day and often overnight. Who is responsible for this extravagance? Is it the concerned officials, maintenance supervisors, security guards or someone else? They all shrug off the responsibility in this regard, and this denial itself is an injustice to their consciences. This also shows their lack of piety and fear of God in shouldering their responsibilities as far safeguarding public property is concerned. If we look at other countries, we can see that there is the utmost keenness in conserving energy and preserving the wealth of the nation. For example, people often commend the famous American politician and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's habit of switching off all the lamps in his house whenever they are not in use. Outside Saudi Arabia, even affluent parents teach their children the importance of conserving electricity and water. All of this is contrary to what happens in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, although it must be noted that there are many people who call for diversifying the sources of energy used for desalinating water and producing electricity. By not relying heavily on petroleum and natural gas, these resources can be preserved for future generations. The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) deserves appreciation for its initiative to introduce as many as 40,000 smart electricity meters with the objective of considerably reducing the volume of electricity consumption. It is interesting to note that the per capita consumption of electricity in the Kingdom is nine times higher than that of the four most populous Arab countries – Egypt, Algeria, Sudan and Morocco. The total population of these countries -185.6 million - is almost seven times more than the Kingdom's population of 28.4 million. From these figures, the magnitude of our waste of energy resources is only too evident. This is happening at a time when experts warn that there should be a reduction of up to 90 percent in costs shouldered by the government to make water and electricity available to the public. They also point out that Saudi Arabia has vast untapped sources for the production of renewable energy and that the Kingdom should rely heavily on these sources as a strategic option for achieving long-term sustainability. Saving energy resources is a principle that should be appreciated by all so we can achieve sustainable development. The Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency recently cited a study on the energy efficiency of air conditioners. There are high-efficiency air conditioners with a six-star grade and low-efficiency single-star air conditioners. The high-efficiency air conditioners use 25 percent less energy than low-efficiency air conditioners and it is obvious that we should be using these more efficient models. We must preserve our precious energy resources and use them prudently. There must be concerted efforts on the part of all concerned government departments and agencies to put an end to the wasting of electricity.
