Comito: People, Businesses, Can Do More To Save Energy

Frank Comito, the Executive Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA), and one of the chief organizers of the event, said the forum was a “lost opportunity” for many Bahamians.

“One of the things that keeps coming across is businesses and residents are not doing enough to save on energy costs,” Comito said.

“While we had a respectable number of people, there should have been more. The savings that can be achieved now are so evident – people think they are doing what they can, but there is a tremendous lost opportunity.”

Comito’s comments echo the general sentiment at the BHA, with Stuart Bowe, the president, saying in his opening speech that based on recent audits hotels could potentially save energy in the range of 40 to 60 percent.

He made reference to the recently approved Chenact Project – the Caribbean hotel Energy Efficency Action Program.

Funded largely by the Inter-American Development Bank, “it will go a long way towards advancing energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources in hotels, particularly small hotels throughout the country”, he said in the speech.

He emphasized the need to change amid the shifting Bahamas business landscape. Participation and taking advantage of the “tremendous amounts of information” is part of that process,

Comito told Guardian Business. He added that in an environmental where many businesses and residents complain about the high cost of energy, it was surprisingly not to see a higher turn out.

That said, Comito pointed out that the esteemed line up of speakers, exhibitions and presenters certainly made the forum worthwhile.

He reported there was a great deal of “brokering going on” as various stakeholders circulated and asked questions. He expressed high hopes that partnerships and investment could be down the road to benefit Bahamians in the future.Jeffrey Todd NG

Jeffrey Todd
The Nassau Guardian
Published: November 7, 2011