‘A Light from Every House’

KUWAIT: "Unfortunately, Kuwait has very high indicators of irregular electricity consumption due to the lack of a culture of energy conservation. The daily consumption reaches 16,000-17,000 megawatts, and given the hot weather we are experiencing this summer, there is a warning of a potential crisis.” Engineer Fares Alenezi, a resident of Jaber Al-Ahmad residential area and a member of the Jaber Al-Ahmad City Residents Group, stated to Kuwait Times during an interview conducted to highlight "A Light from Every House” initiative.

Alenezi told Kuwait Times that the idea behind "A Light from Every House” initiative arises from the importance of the community’s role in rationalizing electricity consumption. "Today, thankfully, we consider electricity one of the greatest and most important blessings that we must be grateful for and preserve to ensure its longevity. However, unfortunately, Kuwait has very high indicators of irregular electricity consumption due to the lack of a culture of energy conservation,” he said.

Alenezi also said that to find a radical solution to electricity issues in Kuwait we need to build power plants and promote energy conservation. "Building power plants or using alternative energy such as solar and wind energy is the government’s responsibility. However, the solution that lies in the hands of the people and citizens is conservation.

The culture of conservation must be promoted from the individual to the whole family. We named this initiative ‘A Light from Every House,’ meaning that if everyone turns off one light in each house, it will significantly contribute to energy savings, reaching to an approximate of 40 percent, and help us overcome the expected crisis. Therefore, we want the community to participate positively and not blame others,” he explained.

"Every individual has a responsibility today to reduce the use of devices, especially between 11 am and 5 pm, as these are the peak hours,” Alenezi said, emphasizing on the necessity of turning off lights in unused areas during the day, turning off water heaters, closing the vents in unused bathrooms, setting the air conditioner temperature to 24°C, not using high-power electrical appliances during peak hours, avoiding leaving chargers plugged in, and preferably unplugging them.

"Nations advance and improve through initiatives that come from the individuals themselves. Therefore, we must instill these values, follow up on them, and try to make every area follow the example of Jaber Al-Ahmad City, which is considered a model area. We hope that all regions of Kuwait will be like Jaber Al-Ahmad, which innovates and implements. Energy conservation should be a lifestyle, not a temporary trend. We need the public’s support to implement these ideas. The real solution lies in conservation, and the culture of conservation is the biggest challenge we face today,” he added.

He expressed hope and optimism about the Kuwaiti society, as it is an educated and understanding community regarding the ideas we present. "We ask nothing of you but ‘A Light from Every House.’ If you have laundry or chores that can be postponed to the evening, please do so because this is a national responsibility, and we will not feel the greatness of this blessing until we lose it,” concluded Alenezi.