Energy efficiency [Part - I]

February 16, 2022

The writer is a former member of the Energy Planning
Commission and author of ‘Pakistan’s Energy Issues: Success
and Challenges’.

The idea that ‘energy conserved is better and cheaper than

energy produced or purchased’ has proven to be true, especially
due to rising energy prices, supply uncertainties and climate
change effects.

In the West, the movement for energy conservation, efficiency,

self-reliance and renewable energy started in the backdrop of
the 1973 oil crisis. Since then, remarkable changes have
occurred in the energy sector. Earlier, energy intensity – energy
elasticity of the GDP – used to be more than one which means
that to increase the GDP by one percent, an 1-1.5 percent
increase in energy supply or consumption was required.

Today, in most countries, this index is 0.5, and, in some

economies, it is even negative. This means that the growth rate
in energy conservation and efficiency is faster than the growth
rate of the economy. But it is not true for developing countries
like Pakistan due to a variety of factors, including poverty, low
education and technology. The sensitivity of the issue, however,
is increasing among government policies and the people.

Energy is used in all parts of human life. A wide variety of

sectors, users, producers and traders are involved and directly
affected by the energy sector. There are, however, some limited
number of areas which consume the bulk of energy, which
makes the job of achieving energy conservation and efficiency
relatively easier.
Due to market and trade reasons – and not any indigenous
effort, many improvements have taken place, especially in
imported items. Today’s cars are more than four times fuel
efficient than those of the 1980s. And with electric vehicles
(EVs), efficiency is likely to increase even more. The revolution
in the lighting sector came through LEDs. Also, the latest
computer and TV screens are many times more efficient than
their previous models.

Split ACs are being widely used which are generally more
efficient than window ACs as the former is being used for both
cooling and heating purposes. Using ACs as heaters is much
more efficient than the use of classic resistance heaters.
Unfortunately, in this area, only the rich have switched while the
poor do not have either the house or the money to benefit from
it. Home electrical appliances are more efficient today, but they
still have room for improvement.

Unfortunately, the building sector is the most energy inefficient

sector, and not much has been done in this respect.
Conservation has two sides – energy-efficient appliances and
user-side efficiency. There is no use of installing energy-efficient
ACs in a poorly built house with poor insulation.

The building sector has a large share of 20 percent in energy

consumption. In the US, the housing sector consumes 40
percent of the country’s total energy consumption. Due to
poverty and shanty houses, we may not have such a high share.
There is a stock of 20 million houses, half of which are ‘pucca’
houses. There are 35 million electric consumers and seven
million gas connections. New electricity connections per year
average at 1.5 million – these figures give an idea of waste or
conservation potential.
However, it may be noted that gas consumption in Pakistan
increases in the winter largely due to heating and hot water
requirements. And in the summer, electricity requirements peak
due to cooling requirements provided by ACs and fans. Water
consumption increases in the summer as well, leading to an
increase in energy use in water pumping. This brings motor and
pump energy efficiency issues to the fore.

There are some voluntary energy conservation labels and

schemes like Leadership in Energy and Environment
Development (LEED). The application of the LEED criterion has
led to some remarkable effects of energy savings in commercial
buildings – up to 50 percent savings (more than 275,000 kWh
per year). Voluntary participation may be more effective than
legal approaches which may eventually come in the long run.
Although for some stubborn customers, a carrot-and-stick
approach may also work. Market-based approaches also
succeed in such cases.

Space cooling and space and water heating are the most
energy-consuming and costly processes, more in terms of
operating (energy) cost than in terms of capital expenditure.
Both elite and middle classes indulge in wasteful investments in
it. Most energy theft used – and even continues – to be due to
the use of ACs, gas heaters and water geysers.

Investment in energy conservation is definitely cheaper than the

cost of energy consumed otherwise. The culprit in high energy
consumption is lack of insulation in our homes and commercial
buildings. In the 19th century, in this part of the world, houses
used to have energy conservation features like decent heights,
ventilation systems and energy-insulating plasters. Roof
insulation technology and materials are relatively widely
available. A cheaper option – ‘white colouring of the roof’ – has
also found wider acceptance. Roof insulation can be done in
existing houses, offering a large potential for further savings.
Wider use and the availability of better materials can make a
difference.

Wall insulation is a rather difficult issue for existing buildings.

However, in new construction, it is neither costly nor difficult to
insulate walls. Normally, two walls are built with a cavity of three
to four inches. This is required in only outer walls. There are
other techniques of insulated plasters or installing insulated
panels inside. The installation of insulated panels inside may be
feasible in existing houses. In the US, the payback of cavity wall
insulation is about three years. In Pakistan, with costly energy
and lower construction cost, the payback period may be even
less.

The second biggest loss of energy is through glass windows, in

both winter and summer. The larger the house, the larger the
windows. Glazed windows have become a norm in new
buildings and refurbished homes in the West. These windows
can be installed in both new and existing houses. Only outer
windows have to be glazed. In these glass windows, inert gas
like helium is filled to decrease heat transfer. The supply
industry has developed this item but is restricted due to a low
demand.

In the gas sector, solar water heaters (SWH) offer a great

opportunity for energy conservation. They hardly consume any
roof space as opposed to a solar PV system. The existing gas
heaters and geysers are energy inefficient and are responsible
for high gas bills. Gas heaters can be replaced by split ACs
which offer both heating and cooling functions. For rural areas,
biogas and gasifier stoves are a cheap solution and have plenty
of scope.
Electric motors used in water pumps, fans, compressors and all
kinds of industrial machinery are another important item. Most
of their demand comes from water pumps of up to one kW
capacity. There are around four hundred motor manufacturers
mostly in the informal sector and are situated in Gujranwala.
About 14 million motors are installed in the country, which is
expected to increase to 25 million units by 2030. In terms of
MW, 70 percent of the motor demand may be coming from large
motors of five KW and more. However, even in the industrial
sector, motor efficiency averages around 50-55 percent due to a
variety of reasons which are not related to only motor quality,
but there are operations and maintenance issues as well.
Optimum efficiency requirements exceed 75 percent.

New products offer huge potential for boosting energy

conservation and efficiency, and both large- and small-scale
industries require technical input in this regard. However, in the
large motor sector, industrial users need assistance. In the case
of small motors, motor manufacturers need assistance. Thus,
two different approaches are required to help improve the
current situation.

To be continued

Email: akhtarali1949@gmail.com