Representatives from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica are working on strategies to help industrial and commercial businesses reduce energy consumption though a five-year project sponsored by the Central American Biomass Users Network (BUN-CA), according to a statement from the network.
The project, also sponsored by the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), seeks to promote energy efficiency in Central America s commercial and industrial sectors by providing assistance to small and medium business to reduce their energy consumption.
This is the first stage of the five-year project, the statement said, and a group of 35 experts from around the region met in San José last month to discuss how to reach the project s goals.
Costa Rica s energy consumption rate is growing at an average of 5% per year, creating the need to promote a new culture of energy saving and motivate businesses to conserve, said BUN-CA president José MarÃa Blanco.
In the realm of Central American public policy, we need to establish rules to avoid the importing of inefficient electronic equipment, Blanco added.
Business owners who want more information about the program can call BUNCA at 283-8835.
