With all the discussion that was taking place on the new water and electricity rates and how these will be affecting industry and households, little attention was given to one important factor in the whole equation – the need to educate the people not to waste energy unnecessarily.

Constituted bodies, in particular those in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, are rightly worried that the government’s revision of energy tariffs –backdated to 1 October – will adversely hit them. They are even more concerned because this has come at a time when the global financial situation will mean a decrease in the number of people who will be travelling and also a decrease in consumption.

So, while having to pay more for water and electricity, they will be experiencing a drop in their income because their production will decrease, they will be selling less and Malta will, in all probability, have to face a decline in tourism numbers.

On the other hand, the government is insisting that the money to pay Enemalta Corporation’s bills must come from somewhere. It has also lowered the bar by e60 million because the international situation has led to a significant drop in the price of oil, which is now nearly $100 per barrel less than it was just four months ago.

What is perhaps less understandable is that the new tariffs have been backdated to 1 October. It does not really follow that people have consumed electricity “in the dark” – excuse the pun – that is, not knowing how much they are going to pay for it when the next bill is delivered. It was only last Tuesday, nearly one month after they came into force, that the people got to know how much they are going to pay.

This takes us to the subject of conserving energy, or at least not wasting it, a factor that has not received as much focus as one would have expected while such an important issue was being discussed.

The best way to pay less for energy is to consume less, and it is therefore imperative that, now that the new tariffs have come into force, this will be coupled with a comprehensive marketing campaign to educate the people to continue using energy, yes, but not to waste it unnecessarily.

We are not saying that people should not switch on their lights, but on the other hand there are ways and means how to cut down on unnecessary wastage. And this is valid for industry as well – offices are often left lit up when there are no

people working, just to give one basic example.

The government has barely touched on the subject of unnecessary waste. When he was addressing the Nationalist Party general conference a few days ago, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that “capping industrial utility bills was tantamount to promoting wastage”, and it is for this reason that the government is persisting in wanting to change the way industry is billed. But this has been one of the few times that the matter of wastage was dealt with.

It is also households that need to be told the little things that would lead to less consumption of energy, and therefore less costly bills. These little things do make a difference, and it does not take much for people to change their habits when they realise that ultimately they will be paying less.

While speaking of wastage of energy in the industrial sector, the government has given little thought to the unnecessary waste of energy in households. And it is in this respect that an effort should be made to educate the people that, for example, if they leave electrical appliances on stand-by they are wasting energy – and paying for it.