BANGKOK, 15 March 2013 Local shopping centers and malls have agreed to have shorter business hours to help save energy during the period that power outages are likely in April.
Thai Shopping Center Association (TSCA) President Naris Cheyklin said on Thursday that more than 40 TSCA members across the country have agreed to join the government’s campaign to save energy in April, when the planned suspension of gas delivery from Myanmar has led to worries about possible power outages.
Myanmar has informed Thailand of its plan to halt the delivery because of the pipeline maintenance, which is scheduled during April 5-14.
Mr. Naris stated that all TSCA members will close their shops an hour earlier during this period, while temperature setting of their air-conditioning units will be adjusted up by 1-2 degree Celsius.
He believes that such actions will help save energy consumption by 5-10% or about 1 billion baht in electricity bill of each participating department store.
The TSCA President went on to say that the association is looking at ideas to introduce sustainable energy saving measures, which include the construction of power-saving building and the use of scraps for power generation as well as the building of a small power plant, which need financial support from the government due to its high cost.
