Abuja – German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) on Monday underscored the need for energy efficient buildings and use of renewable energy to boost electricity supply and raise electrification rate in the country.
Nigeria.
The GIZ Head of Programme, Ina Hommers, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that renewable energy and building energy efficiency houses were not yet sufficiently considered within the country’s policy and institutional framework.
The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing with the assistance of GIZ and the European Union inaugurated the Buildings’ Energy Efficiency Guidelines (BEEG) for Nigeria on June 16.
Hommers described the BEEG guideline as a document that would support architects, engineers, and builders in the design and construction of energy efficient buildings in the country.
She said that the guideline was developed with the support of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) and jointly financed by the European Union and the German Government.
“The BEEG guideline provides useful information to professionals in the building sector on key factors to consider when implementing energy efficiency measures in Nigerian buildings.
“These include the architectural design of the building, materials used for construction, equipment used in the building, regional hazards common in Nigeria, and tools for estimating energy efficiency indicators.
“The document also uses the case study examples that low cost energy efficiency measures such as shading and efficient lighting can ensure energy savings of up to 40 per cent for buildings.
“And mid-high cost measures like energy efficient equipment and renewable energy integration can ensure energy savings of up to 75 per cent,’’ the diplomat said.
She noted that the case studies of the guidelines showed that payback period for investments in energy efficiency was between one year to 15 years for both residential and office buildings.
Hommers said the ministry developed the guideline as a first step to introducing a holistic regulatory framework on energy efficiency in building.
She added that the next step would be the development of its code.
“The building energy efficiency code will be integrated into the existing National Building Code which will incentivise voluntary efficiency adjustments in buildings,’’ the diplomat said.
On the challenges in Nigeria’s energy sector, she said that Nigeria had been Africa’s number one crude oil producer and had vast potential for renewable energy.
Hommers noted that in spite of this, the country’s electricity supply remained unreliable.
She said that more than half of the population had no access to electricity.
She noted that the lack of electricity recorded in the country was particularly in the rural areas, where approximately 70 per cent of dwellers did not have access to the national electricity grid.
“Those connected to the grid suffer from blackouts of several hours per day. Consequently, many households and businesses rely on expensive and ecologically harmful fuel generators.
“In order to tackle these challenges and meet the country’s power demand, the Nigerian government restructured and privatised the power sector in 2013.
“In spite of these efforts, the country still struggles to produce sufficient electricity,’’ Hommers noted.
The GIZ head of programme said that the peak power supply of around 4,000 megawatts for a population of 170 million people fell far short of the estimated demand of more than 14,000 megawatts.
She said building energy efficient houses and renewable energy should be considered with special attention as it would promote the economic development of the country.
The NESP is funded by the European Union (EU) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). (NAN)