The will to conserve energy

I was flabbergasted at the government's inexplicable decision to end the rebate scheme on energy-efficient appliances. The impression I had was that this scheme has been successful in bringing about concrete energy savings, a fact confirmed by an official from the Malta Resources Authority during a seminar last February.

My previous criticism of the scheme was that it should have been introduced years earlier and that one should not give a rebate on a tumble dryer - because there is no such thing as an energy-efficient tumble dryer.

To justify the termination of the appliance rebate, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech was quoted as saying that "the government is concentrating on energy-saving lamps to bring about a change in mentality in this sector". This argument is pathetic, to say the least. I am not one to put down the need to go for energy-saving lighting, but one measure should not be at the expense of another.

More importantly, we must put things in perspective. Five standard 40W incandescent light bulbs, switched on for six hours, consume 1.2 units of electricity. A relatively small 12,000 BTU air-conditioner running for the same time consumes 7.2 units, or six times as much!

Do we have our priorities in order? I honestly wonder who advises the government on these very important matters.