Beginnings Issue 12.pub - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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P a ge 14 I s s u e 12 IN FOCUS Energy Matters (Part 2) By Richard Kelly In our last issue, the first of this two part feature introduced the major findings of a Household Energy End Use Survey, commissioned by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) and conducted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The main findings highlighted the use of electricity, Liquid Petroleum Gas, and charcoal and solar energy among Jamaicans, Part 2 now looks at the major findings associated with energy efficiency in transportation and energy conservation. TRANSPORTATION It was found that the Jamaican public mainly used public transportation since nearly 75 per cent of households did not own a motor vehicle (Figure 1). This gave a measure of energy efficiency in the transport sector. More urban households owned a motor vehicle than their rural counterparts (31.5 per cent and 18.7 per cent respectively). Figure 1. Percentage of Households 3+ Vehicles 1% 2 Vehicles 5% 1 Vehicle 19% with/without motor vehicles % of Households 0 Vehicles 75% Households headed by males had a higher percentage of vehicle ownership (32.3 per cent) compared to those headed by females (16.9 per cent). The most common motor vehicle owned or operated by households was a motor car (67.8 per cent followed by pickups (13.1 per cent) and SUVs (6.2 per cent). A higher percentage of rural households owned or operated minivans/buses (13.3 per cent) compared to their urban counterparts (4.8 per cent). Some 53.2 per cent of motor cars were over 10 years old, with 15.5 per cent being over 15 years old (Figure 2). The mean age was 10.8 years and about 75.0 per cent of the pickups in the survey were over 10 years, with 41.7 per cent being over 15 years old (Figure 3). The mean age for pickups was 12.8 years. The age of the fleet had implications for foreign exchange to import spare parts to maintain them, and for facilities to dispose of them when they are finally unusable. 3. Figure 2. Average Age of Motor Cars 11-15 years 38% Average Age of Pickups Figure Only Average age 12.6 years 1 3 . 2 p e r 0-5 years c e n t 8% o f > 15 years 42% >15 years 15% 0-5 years 14% 6-10 years 33% 6-10 years 17% 11-15 years 33% respondents stated that fuel economy was not important or not very important to them when deciding which vehicle to purchase, with little difference between urban and rural based respondents, male and female, and age group. Public transport was the main means of transport to work with 26 per cent taking the route taxi and 14 per cent the public buses (Table B). The former was similar to the use of own vehicles. About 21 per cent walked to work, and another 5 per cent rode a bicycle. The average Jamaican travelled 14.1 kilometers to work, with the highest proportion being in the 2.1-5 km range (25.4 per cent of respondents), and the next highest being the 10.1-30 km range (22.7 per cent). In the urban areas, workers travelled an average of 14.9 km to work while in rural areas it was 13.3 km. Students mainly used public transport to get to school, predominantly the route taxi (37.2 per cent of households), public buses (18.7 per cent), minivans (3.0 per cent) and private taxis (4.6 per cent). In total 63.5 per cent of (Continued on page 15)
P a g e 15 I s s u e 12 (Continued from page 14) Table B. Transportation to work by percentage of households Mode of Transport All Urban Rural Own/Co. vehicle 26 32 18 Public bus 14 24 3 Route taxi 26 21 33 Other Public Transport 5 5 4 Walk 21 13 32 Other 8 5 10 Figure 4. Energy Saving Practices Some 32.8 per cent of urban households used energy saving bulbs compared to only 20.0 per cent of rural households; also a larger urban percentage said they opened the refrigerator less % o f Hou seh o ld s 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 households used public transport to get their children to school. Another 22.5 per cent had their children walk to school. Not many children travelled on school buses or bicycles. In addition, 36.5 per cent of respondents said that there was nothing that would make them willing to park their vehicle and take public transportation. Reasons that would make others consider this option included the cost of gas/toll (28.1 per cent of respondents), a good and frequent transport system (12.7 per cent) or if their vehicle was at the garage (8.8 per cent). Approximately 47.1 per cent of car owners said that there was nothing that would make them willing to park their vehicle and carpool with a friend or neighbour. Reasons that could make others willing to consider this included economical (28.0 per cent of persons), and if they were going the same place (9.7 per cent). Traffic congestion was not considered an important factor since only 0.8 per cent cited this reason. Fewer urban car owners (49.7 per cent) would consider the idea compared to their rural counterparts (58.7 per cent). Those who owned one vehicle were about as likely to consider it as those with two or more; similarly those living near to their work place (0-5 km) were as likely to consider as those travelling further to work (over 5 km). Gender differences were not large, while age showed a trend, with the older the persons the less amenable to carpooling. Energy Conservation About 79 per cent of households routinely performed energy saving practices. Three quarters of the respondents identified the turning off of electric lights and appliances when not in use as an energy saving measure (Figure 4). About 40.0 per cent said that they ironed less (three persons said that they had stopped ironing), while 28.0 per cent reported that they opened the refrigerator less. It was important to note that only about a quarter of households stated that they used energy saving bulbs. The purchase of energy efficient appliances was listed by only a few (4.7 per cent). 0 Turn off light & Ap pliance s E ne rgy E fficie nt A p pliance s Use Ene rgy Sa ving B ulb s Iron Le ss Op en F ridg e L ess (32.4 per cent of urban compared to 23.1 per cent of rural). Fewer male headed households ironed less to save energy than female ones (34.7 per cent of males and 46.5 per cent of females). Also, it appeared that fewer male headed households practiced opening the fridge less compared to female headed households (23.9 per cent of males and 32.9 per cent of females). It was concluded that while most households routinely performed energy saving practices, the use of energy saving bulbs by only a quarter of households indicated that the programme of encouraging their use was not fully successful. This could be due to the relatively high cost. There was a low prevalence of water heaters in Jamaican households, which could be due to many persons thinking that they are unnecessary in the hot Jamaican climate, and/or too expensive for the benefits. The NHT solar water heater loan programme was known by only 13.5 per cent of respondents, more so by persons who were urban, middle aged, highly educated and high income earners. The NHT promotion of this programme was not being effective, and other strategies for the promotion would be needed. Data generated from the survey will assist in the formulation of more detailed strategies to enhance the achievement of the Energy policy objectives and further address the needs of the sector. Richard Kelly is the Science & Technology Specialist in the Sustainable Development & Regional Planning Division at the PIOJ.
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