Laotian program making inroads in energy efficiency

A program in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) is having some success in increasing energy efficiency and in increasing access to electricity by rural households in the central and southern provinces of Laos.

The The Demand-Side Management / Energy Efficiency (DSM/EE) Project, funded by the World Bank/GEF (Global Environment Facility), is now in its second phase. The program is conducted by Electricite du Laos (EdL).

Phase I, which was from 2007-2010, set out to determine reasonable energy consumption levels for ministries and agencies and to address inefficient practices in public-sector electricity consumption. The government of Laos believes that saving on domestic electricity consumption will generate greater revenues through electricity exports.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, domestic electricity consumption is growing at a rate of 13 percent per year, with the heaviest growth coming from residential and industrial areas. Government consumption, which represents nine percent of all electricity use, is also rapidly growing.

Already, the energy efficiency efforts targeting government institutions are paying dividends. The DSM/EE program conducted energy audits in 50 government buildings, and created recommendations for energy efficient improvements in all buildings.

It also launched four pilot projects in public sector buildings in the nation’s capital of Vietiane.  For example, the Ministry of Education underwent extensive monitoring and evaluation. Through education and monitoring, the DSM/EE reduced energy demand during the lunch break for the ministry’s employees more than 25 percent.

Other objectives of the Lao DSM/EE program include:

• Implementation for an air conditioner maintenance program
• Conduct energy audits for hospitals and medical centers, and develop energy efficient recommendations
• Expand the Energy Consumption Database to include all public sector facilities
• Establish low-cost initiatives, including energy efficient lighting, in residential sectors
• Begin developing a plan for the introduction of an Appliance energy Standards and Labeling program, focused on residential appliances.

Additionally, the EdL has launched public awareness campaigns focused on energy efficiency, and hopes to extend its grid to another 52,000 households, and provide electricity to an additional 10,000 homes off grid.