How to become an efficient energy user

We want to save energy but very little of us really do it.Why? Simply because we still can afford to pay our energy bills and fuel that we need to use in our daily life.

In many countries where most of their energy are imported like Japan and Thailand, energy management has been regulated by specific laws and regulations to ensure intensive energy users are managing their energy consumption well with certain energy saving targets to be complied.
For Malaysians, energy costs that we are paying now is partly subsidized by the government and this has given some "cushion" from the real impacts of energy price changes in the world and still many of us struggling to cope with that.

Based on forecasts by APERC in 2006, Malaysia is expected to be net energy importer in 2020 and it gives us more reasons to be efficient now rather that later where energy cost will be totally depending on fluctuation in the global market price.

The best way for us to deal with less energy subsidies from the government and the fluctuating global energy prices in years to come is by controlling on how we use our energy from now. From the most extreme view, there will be a time in the future where our efficiency in using energy will determine our survival as a person or as an business entity.

It is difficult to save? As an ordinary people, it is not since we in many ways, we have almost full control on our energy use.
For bigger users such as industrial and building sectors, more to be considered to become more efficient depending on the nature of energy being used for each organization.

We cannot save energy by saying but only by doing it and we often listen to a question " How can do it?"

My years of experiences in this field has told me one thing. Energy need to be managed and it is an on going efforts to ensure we can maintain the usage at desired efficiency level. Even though we may use the most efficient technologies available but it would not be as efficient as we expect over the period of time if we do not manage it well enough.For example, an efficient designed designed building or equipment will not be efficient by itself the moment we start to occupy it.

I believe in a sustainable energy management and just like any other management issues,they need a system which is specifically designed to ensure it will succeed in a long term.

As users, energy need to be manage systematically like other areas such as quality, safety, water and environment. However energy management is often seen has no direct benefits or impacts when core functions or business of most organizations is to produce goods or deliver services as sources to make profits.

One ringgit we saved is actually one ringgit that we earned and being efficient energy users do not mean that we have to compromise on our output or performance in quality or quantity of products/services to be delivered.

Having an energy management system to manage energy has been proven as the most effective mean to ensure all energy saving efforts will be more achievable where results can be measured and more improvements can be introduced to increase efficiency level.

As a conclusion, energy management through a proper system will enable us to become efficient and remain efficient in using energy.