SUMMER is upon us and the desire to run the fan longer or even turn on the air-conditioning unit will rise.

But remember, so too will your light bill.

If the satisfaction of reducing how much you pay JPS for electricity used is not enough incentive for you to conserve, think about the thousands of dollars that could go to your bank account each year.

Residential consumers of electricity pay Jamaica Public Service (JPS) an average of $31 and $40 for each kilowatt-hour (kWh), depending on how much is used in any given month.

The price paid for electricity is higher for those with greater appetites for energy. That’s because the energy rate for each kWh above the first 100 kWh is 2.3 times the rate for the first 100 kWh

We note Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell’s intention of reintroducing the scheme that gave households energy-saving light bulbs in exchange for incandescent ones.

We back the idea if the Cubans, who donated the first set of bulbs, do in fact have more to give, and if we can be assured that there will be proper oversight. For the last effort was not only an embarrassment to Mr Paulwell’s People’s National Party administration, but Jamaica, generally.

The minister’s then deputy, and others, were accused of siphoning off millions of light bulbs for personal benefit and of setting up dummy companies to manage the distribution. These allegations are still before the court.

Any new arrangement must be beyond suspicion.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

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