Energy Minister outdoors automatic timer switches to reduce electricity consumption

The Minister for Energy Boakye Agyarko, has outdoored an energy savings device being introduced by the Energy Commission to help users of deep freezers and refrigerators to cut down cost of energy consumption.

The device christened as “automatic timer switches” has the capacity of switching off all deep freezers connected for a specified period, thus reducing the load.

He said, “according to the results of tests conducted by the Commission, 30%energy savings have been recorded by the use of the timer switches when the appliance connected is switched off from 6pm to midnight.”

Speaking at the launch of the device and a mobile Phone Application (APP) aimed to assist consumers to buy efficient refrigerators without any cost of enquiry in Accra Mr Boakye Agyarko commended the Energy Commission for the two initiatives.

“It is instructive to note that no deterioration occurs in the quality of foods kept in the freezers if they are switched off for up to 12 hours,” he added.

Mr Boakye Agyarko said about 1 million automatic timer switches will be supplied for use if the device is proven successful, noting that it can save an estimated 200-250MW and consequent energy consumption, estimated at 1,066 MWh per day.

He noted that the Ghana Prisons Service had already taken delivery and deployed timer switches in its facilities across the country.

“I am sure the police and the Ghana Armed Forces will take advantage of the pilot phase of the programme and secure supplies for their facilities,” he said.

Touching on the energy savings interventions introduced by successive governments Mr Boakye Agyarko noted that the various interventions have yielded positive results by saving the country millions of dollars.

“In 2007 the government procured and replaced over six million incandescent lamps with energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) which lead to a reduction of the load by over 124MW and an energy saving cost of over US$33million per annum.

“The Energy Commission in May 2014 launched the “Switch Off a Freezer” Campaign, through which consumers were encouraged to switch off their deep freezers between 6pm and midnight. This was to reduce the load and avoid load shedding during the 2014 World Cup Tournament. A load reduction of 70MW was recorded during the evenings over the period confirming the effectiveness of the campaign,” he said.