| dc.description.abstract | Biomass contributes over 90% of the total energy consumed in Uganda and provides almost all t energy used to meet basic energy needs for cooking and water heating in rural areas and for mc urban households, institutions and commercial buildings. Limited availability of electricity and hi prices of petroleum products, constitute barriers to a reduction in the demand for biomass such firewood and charcoal. As firewood and charcoal are used in unsustainable ways, they contribute environmental degradation, deforestation and hence greenhouse gas emissions and climate change Directly they also subject the users to the risks of respiratory diseases through smoke.
Information on energy consumption and use in secondary and tertiary institutions in Uganda scanty. Management of a crucial resource like energy needs priority consideration in programming for a green economy and planning for cost reduction in energy consumption in education institutions, hence this pilot study which was supported by UNATCOM.
overall objective of the study was to assess the baseline situation of gaps in energy education an
management of energy resources in the educational institutions in Uganda based initially on thr
pilot districts of Wakiso, Kayunga and Iganga targeting selected Primary and Secondary schools an
Primary Teacher Training Colleges and Technical Training Institutes. It is anticipated that t
baseline information and data gathered from this pilot study will contribute to the development of
more comprehensive study on energy supply and utilization across various institutions in the country
The study used a design that employed mainly semi-structured questionnaires based on t participation of Principals, Head Teachers and other institutional administrators, teachers, support staff and students. Photographs of objects of interest were also taken. Results of the study we validated in a stakeholder workshop held on 14 March 2013.
The major findings of the study were that the types of energy used in educational institutions we firewood (92%), electricity (92%), charcoal (54%), petroleum/diesel powered generators (46% paraffin (38%), gas (38%) and solar power (31%). These energy sources were used mainly f cooking, lighting, and heating in the laboratories and workshops. The technologies used for cooking were the open charcoal cooking stoves (46%), improved cook stoves (31%) and the traditional thr stone stoves (23%). For lighting, grid electricity was the dominant energy source in 77% of the institutions, while generators (46%), solar (31%) paraffin (31%) and inverter batteries (8%) we alternatives. The study concluded that biomass is still the dominant source of energy used in educational institutions mostly with inefficient technologies.
For firewood and charcoal use, there is need to promote the establishment of woodlots, use of improved cook stoves, research on the supply and costs of biomass resources and more efficient methods of charcoal production, the introduction of other innovative energy biomass technologies in educational institutions such as biogas and briquettes that will not only reduce the energy costs but also preserve a clean environment.
Due to the current high cost of electricity, its distribution should be restricted to target priority structures such as offices, class rooms, computer rooms and laboratories. The institutions that provide subsidized electricity to resident staff as an incentive for hard work should carefully regulate its use. There should be a programme that promotes and supports the use of solar power in educational institutions while genuine dealers in solar equipment should be identified and made known to the institutions.
On a broader scale, good energy management practices should be promoted such as the adoption of architectural designs that reflect more lights inside buildings like construction of modern wide windows, use of transparent roofing materials that let in more light into buildings at no cost and popularization of the use of auto-switch-off computers which switch off automatically when not in use; a comprehensive training needs assessment should be conducted in educational institutions on various aspects of energy education and resource management; and there is need to advocate for treatment of energy issues as one of the core concerns of educational institutions. All the above efforts should be supported by the institutions themselves, MOES, NEMA, MEMD, other relevant Government institutions, Development Partners, Private Sector and NGOs. In view of the potential impact of energy use on environment and climate change, MOES should also, as a matter of urgency, endevour to put in place policy guidelines for energy use and management in educational institutions. | en_US |
