State Minister for the Environment Phenton Neymour said yesterday that the Ministry of the Environment has conducted several energy audits on a number of government entities in The Bahamas in an effort to find ways to significantly reduce energy bills

Speaking with The Nassau Guardian, Neymour said the audits were conducted in government schools, and other government buildings such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the House of Assembly and the Churchill Building where Cabinet meets.

 "What we've found is that there are simple ways we can significantly reduce the energy (cost) for the Bahamian people because the electricity bill for the government is being paid by the people and so we've found ways to decrease that cost and we are actively pursing them," he said.

These alternatives include using solar water heaters and solar photovoltaic panels at some of the institutions. "At the new hospital wing, we are using the solar water heaters to generate heating water there and we anticipate there will be significant savings there at the hospital also."

Solar water heaters are very efficient and usually pay for themselves in two to three years he said, adding that heating water plays a major role in electrical bills. Neymour also noted that an area of major concern in the public sector is air conditioning and lighting after hours.

 "Some of the air conditioners are either undersized or oversized and not receiving sufficient maintenance. That's an area we are concentrating on," he said. Neymour added that the ministry hopes to conduct more energy audits over the next three to six months.

 Neymour spoke at the drawing of the winners of the Ministry of the Environment's solar energy program in Rawson Square. The ministry gave away 100 solar water heaters and 33 solar photovoltaic electrical systems to Bahamians as a part of its solar initiative launched last December.

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