The Christie administration's National Energy Policy, which has already drawn some harsh criticism on its pronouncements on renewable energy, hangs on four strategic goals, and seeks to support a vision of a Bahamian energy sector that is "modern, diversified and efficient" and provides Bahamians with "affordable energy supplies and long-term energy security towards enhancing international competitiveness and sustainable prosperity".
Each of these goals is supported by strategies aimed at bringing the policy into actual practice.
The first goal of the policy is for Bahamians to become aware of the importance of energy conservation, to use energy wisely and continuously pursue opportunities for improving energy efficiencies, "with key economic sectors embracing eco efficiency".
The policy separates the strategic actions by relevance, calling on households and businesses to develop and
implement programs to influence market behavior toward energy efficiency. It also encourages them to promote efficient use of energy, and goes on to highlight the use of energy-efficient appliances and equipment and the importance in exploring options for energy efficient building designs. The policy looks to set and enforce standards for public sector organizations.
The policy also urges the private sector to provide opportunities for access to clear and consistent information on energy efficient products and services; it encourages businesses to conduct independent energy audits, the costs of which would be deductible from business license fees for the year an audit is carried out.
Bahamians should, according to the policy, develop programs to facilitate the infusion of energy conservation and efficiency (ECE) across the curricula in all levels of the educational system; identify energy efficiency skills requirements across the economy and associated training, accreditation and higher education needs; establish networks and partnerships with government, private sector and academia to promote the development of energy efficient technologies and - particularly in the information arena - develop an energy information clearing-house, using information and communication technologies that will enable information to be easily accessible and available in a user-friendly format to relevant stakeholders.
The policy calls for development of institutional capacity to implement demand-side energy management programs. It also calls for the commercial sector to ensure an adequate supply of energy efficient products, goods and services and to promote energy efficient standards and product labelling.
Citing the government as a "leader in energy conservation and efficiency", the policy cites strategies designed to enable the government to become a model of efficient energy usage and environmental stewardship, resulting in a reduction in the public sector consumption of energy and other resources and providing a stimulus for private sector and community action.
According to the policy, the government must ensure that its ministries and agencies develop and implement environmental stewardship action plans, with special emphasis on energy and fleet management, including the initiation of energy audits in the first instance.
The government must also increase efforts to ensure the capital projects are evaluated for its potential to incorporate more energy efficiency technologies within the scopes of the projects. For example, housing subdivisions.
The policy urges the private sector and industry to support and assist in the establishment of energy service companies (ESCOs) that derive their incomes by generating energy savings for their clients.
Private sector and industry actors are also urged to facilitate the development of a national approach to encourage companies to develop internal systems to assess and prioritize energy efficiency opportunities.
The policy calls for: the promotion of best practices and innovation within energy-using corporations and the energy services sector, through case studies; the promotion of best practices in design of new hotels and industrial facilities; retrofitting existing hotels and industrial facilities to maximize energy efficiency and reduce operational costs, thus assisting businesses to retain or expand staffing; and the facilitated sourcing of low-cost development funds for productive enterprises for energy technology projects.
The policy calls for the creation of relevant legislation to support required investments in energy efficiency, and the provision of incentives for the use of innovative/clean technologies in power generation to improve energy efficiencies.
It urges legislators to: design and introduce appropriate financing mechanisms to facilitate the spread of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies; develop an energy labeling program; conduct periodic reviews and updates of building code in respect of energy efficiency; and incorporate requirements for the efficient use of energy in buildings.
The Ministries of Works and Urban Development, Environment and Housing, Transport and Aviation, Finance, Education and Labour and National Insurance are envisioned as the facilitating actors in respect of this goal.
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