Climate change appears to be having an impact on education across the region, due to soaring temperatures in classrooms. An increasing number of schools are being outfitted with air conditioning (see related story) to alleviate both students and teachers.
Apart from government, also others including businesses have donated cooling devices for this purpose, which is certainly to be appreciated. However, while installation and the necessary adjustments to electrical systems are often added, mention of structurally higher invoices by utilities provider GEBE is rarely made.
Let’s face it, AC units require a lot of power, much more than – for example – lights or even fans. Although there are modern, so-called inverter types that consume less energy nowadays, it’s still a considerable amount.
Of course, as a government-owned company GEBE can offer schools a lower tariff, but there are limits. Discounts for seniors and the like only go so far, because ultimately production cost has to be covered.
Regular customers usually end up footing the billing the bill for such. Ideally, GEBE should be serving the best interest of all its clients with decent rates for everybody, not just some.
One option is to combine AC with solar panels and related equipment, batteries, etcetera. That won’t be cheap, but probably save money in the long run.
