Nuku’alofa, 8th October 2018 – “Teach a child a good habit and he or she will never depart from it as they grow up”, that was the remark by Energy Efficiency Officer, Mr Sione Misi when he took part in a team that visited  primary schools around Tongatapu on the 7^th and 8^th November to promote awareness on energy efficiency.

Under the Australia-funded and Pacific Community-managed Pacific Appliance Labelling and Standards (PALS) Programme, the Tonga Department of Energy within the Ministry of MEIDECC with the assistance of SPC’s PCREEE jointly developed a Colouring and Activity Book for Class 6 Level students of the Primary Schools in Tonga. The activity book incorporates the meaning of Energy Efficiency and the introduction of the Energy Rating Labels together with its importance and benefits to the people of Tonga as energy consumers.

The Colouring and Activity Book “How to Use Electricity Wisely at Home” offers small activities for the students to complete with the intention of how to save energy at home. Part of the Colouring and Activity Book’s activities introduces the Energy Rating Label with a short explanation of the key component of energy rating label for young students to know and understand. The coloured stars on the Energy Rating Label show how efficient the appliance is and the number in the red box is the estimated amount of electricity the appliance will use in one year.

“I was surprised that only one student out of all the 700 students in the nine primary schools we visited gave the correct answer of what the Energy Rating Label meant. This highlights the importance e  of  having more awareness activities on energy efficiency  in the country”, said Mr Misi.

Mrs Ema Lile Latu, Education Officer from the Ministry of Education stated “We wish the program could reach out to all the levels in the Government Primary Schools as this is important for the young students to understand and for us teachers as well. Now we have a clearer understanding of what these Energy Rating Labels mean.”

The awareness activity was a joint initiative of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) together with the Tonga Department of Energy within the Ministry of  Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communication (MEIDECC) and the Ministry of Education.

Students on page 10 of the Colouring and Activity Book where Energy Rating Label is first introduced (photo credit: Sione Misi)

GPS Nuku’alofa Class 6 students, 8^th November (photo credit: Lose Tu’ihalamaka/Energy Officer)