March 30, 2017
Panmedia has long been spreading good news and best practices about energy efficiency. So we were happy last month when the Ministry of Science Energy and Technology and other affiliates of the Energy Security and Efficiency Enhancement Project asked us to execute a multifaceted public education campaign on this subject.
This time our assignment is a bit different than our 2005 energy efficiency public awareness campaign for the PCJ, and our 2012 Greenbiz initiative for the Development Bank of Jamaica. The MSET project is really three discrete but interconnected campaigns with distinct audiences and messages that will supplement each other.
We have already started working with the Bureau of Standards of Jamaica to launch their Energy Efficiency Label. The BSJ rating system informs consumers about energy efficiency of appliances available in Jamaica.
Public electricity creates a heavy burden on taxpayers and the grid. So part of our mandate is to work with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation project that is retrofitting various government buildings with inverter AC units. These make building cooling more efficient. We will coordinate workshops, develop their social media presence, email blasts/newsletters and messages to encourage public sector workers to be conscious and conservative and innovative about energy.
The larger communications campaign will cement the work of the first two. It is meant to build enthusiasm around the country’s progress with our Energy Vision 2030 goals. The gains have been impressive and part of our work is to encourage support from as many quarters as possible. We are using traditional and online media to highlight energy efficiency and conservation work and alternative energy use by the private and public sector and energy providers to reduce the amount of energy produced through imported oil. Look out for more to come!