Scotiabank, I.D.B. host energy efficiency workshop
Scotiabank has teamed up with the Inter-American Investment Corporation, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group to help businesses streamline costs and become more efficient with the energy that they use. The IIC and the bank held an energy efficiency conference today attended by a wide cross section of businessmen and individuals who wanted to genuinely cut their bills. Sarah Hobbs, Scotia Bank’s Director of Retail Banking and Small Business Division filled us in on their first joint initiative with the IIC.
Sarah Hobbs, Dir., Retail Banking & Small Business, Scotiabank
“Well, the whole conference was born from a relationship that Scotiabank started with the Inter-American Investment Corporation a few months back and we’ve started a relationship that will be going in 2009 where we will jointly be promoting the interests of small and medium enterprises in Belize by giving them good advice as to how they can take their businesses to a higher level; how they can improve on their businesses. This workshop is one of the first activities that we’ve done jointly and it really addresses the subject of energy efficiency, how important it is and how there is an opportunity for small businesses to save on costs and become more competitive by focusing on energy efficient measures.”
Michael Apel, Sr. Trust Fund/Technical Assistance Officer, IIC
“We’re working together with Scotiabank and talking to them. About six months ago thought what we really can do to help Belize is deal with the issue of energy costs. About six months ago the energy cost more; a hundred and twenty dollars a barrel for oil and it was looking worst and worst. Now it’s gone down and it’s better now but there’s no guarantee that a month from now it won’t go back up. So we thought why don’t we do a set of activities and work with Scotiabank on energy efficiency to try to figure out very practical ways for us in Belize to be able to reduce their energy expenses. You have lighting, you have refrigeration, you have anything that produces energy through motors. So very simple things; turn the lights in the evening, disconnect your computers when you go in the evening, especially on weekends. Don’t leave your computers on overnight. Paint your roofs white. This helps to reflect solar heat and that cuts down the cost of heating inside the building because you use less air conditioning inside the building. So all these practical different things that companies can do—and that’s been the total of this workshop, to focus on practical things and speak theoretically of energy efficiency.”
Apel says that one area they would like to explore in the future is the concept of an energy audit. An energy auditor would be able to examine a company from top to bottom to find other areas where expenses can be cut and savings increased.
