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Gov’t announces initiative to slash energy consumption

The Department of Economic Development and Commerce is overseeing the work of swapping old lighting for energy-efficient fixtures.

Puerto Rico Economic Development Secretary Manuel Cidre announced a collaboration between the Energy Public Policy Program (PPPE, in Spanish) and government entities, both state and municipal, to replace lighting fixtures in administrative areas to reduce energy consumption and reduce the load on the island’s electrical grid.

“Many buildings that house government agencies have fluorescent lighting fixtures with high energy consumption, and through retrofitting, they can be replaced with LED lighting fixtures that have a longer lifespan and greater efficiency,” Cidre explained.

“Energy savings must also be a priority for government agencies, and that’s what we’re working on,” he added.

The PPPE has already made progress toward this goal, partnering with the Puerto Rico Cardiovascular Center to install 8,442 low-consumption light bulbs in its administrative areas and an additional 12,024 bulbs at the Public Buildings Authority (AEP). 

The bulbs were also distributed across various municipal government centers, including Arecibo, Utuado, Guaynabo, Coamo, Bayamón, Cabo Rojo and Manatí.

At the Cardiovascular Center, a saving of 395,086 kWh is projected, and in the municipalities, a total of 562,723 kWh annually, he said.

Jenny Mar Cañón, interim director of the PPPE, emphasized that “energy efficiency is everyone’s issue. This is just one of the initiatives projected at the PPPE to, first, reduce public spending on energy, and to reduce the load on the electrical network, so that there’s sufficient energy supply.”

The PPPE is responsible for developing, establishing and enforcing public and private sector compliance with policies for planning energy resources.

Additionally, the federal government supports these initiatives through the State Energy Program (SEP), which provides funding and technical assistance to states and territories to enhance energy security, support state-led energy initiatives and improve energy affordability. 

The SEP underlines the state’s role in adapting program activities to its resources, delivery capacity and energy goals.

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This story was written by our staff based on a press release.
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