MEET THE STAFF SERIES

 How Energy Audit Supports other Departments - Chiroma Sambo Jerry

 

CCD: CAN WE HAVE YOUR BRIEF PROFILE?                                                                          

CSJ: My name is Chiroma Sambo Jerry, I am a native of Jaba LGA from Kaduna State. I am currently an Energy Audit Officer in Rigasa Area Office. I hold a BSc degree in Mathematics, a PGD in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I am now pursuing a Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. My areas of specialty are but not limited to Logistics Management, Office Management, Project Management, Performance Management, Data Analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation. What I enjoy doing most outside work is meeting and relating with people especially those from nationality, ethnicity and other backgrounds different from mine.

CCD: WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES?                                            

                                                             

CSJ: My primary responsibilities include planning and scheduling of projects and audit methodology and procedures, inspecting and analyzing energy consumption for residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial customers, assessing processing equipment and machinery for energy consumption, use of testing equipment to identify energy conservation potential, educating users on energy-use habits and potentials for consumption and cost reduction, analyzing audit documentation and data and prepare a report of audit findings as well as presenting audit findings to management and clients. I also prepare cost estimates for potential retrofits and participate in construction of retrofit measures and energy efficiency upgrades.

CCD: CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT ENERGY AUDIT?                                                   

CSJ: Energy audit is a procedure used to determine how and where energy losses are happening and consequently ensure energy efficiency. Hence, an energy audit will provide you with a complete electricity consumption and energy efficiency assessment. An energy audit consists of various jobs that can be carried out, which depends on the type of energy audit and the purpose of the energy audit facility. The energy audit can start with a review of the electricity bill which shows energy consumption. In practical terms, energy losses in electrical power systems are inevitable. Power system losses, especially in distribution systems are usually high and result in increasing the cost of operations to the electricity utilities and the price tag of electricity to the consumers. A quick list of why an energy audit is very important is:  An energy audit will identify energy-saving opportunities. It will help you understand your energy usage and ways to use energy better. An energy audit can identify safety concerns with electrical systems, wiring, and ventilation, thus making your home or business safer. An energy audit will help you identify how to reduce carbon monoxide production in the home or business.  In Kaduna Electric and other DISCOs alike, inputs from the Energy Audit department provide integral data needed for critical functions such as billing and others.

CCD: WHAT MEASURES ARE YOU TAKING TO AVOID LEAKAGES?                                

CSJ: Technical losses on electrical distribution networks are an inherent consequence of energy being transmitted and distributed. While they can never be completely eliminated, they can – and must be – minimized. There are a number of causes, but some of the most common are long distribution lines, overloading of lines, unbalanced LT network, undersize conductors for distribution lines and installation of distribution transformers away from load centers. As the Energy Audit officer, I help mitigate energy losses/leakages using the three major pillars of loss reduction, namely: organizational strategy, technical choices, and data management: Organizational strategy: I liaise with other concerned departments to ensure implementation of operational strategies, such as balancing load between phases. Technical choices: We focus on the selection of efficient components or solutions. Data management: I also concentrate on using data for understanding and tracking energy consumption and loss with a view to finding long lasting or permanent solutions.

CCD: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF BEIGN AN ENERGRY AUDITOR?                                                                                                                            CSJ: Aside the generic challenges, there often delay in getting inputs from some departments most especially when those inputs are a function of electricity supply, e.g. MD meter readings; there is also inability to readily and constantly have access to an operation vehicle to carryout extensive field audits when required. This is obviously owing to the fact that the vehicles are limited. Another challenge is what I consider as the lack of exposure to opportunities such as seminars, conferences, trainings etc. to assist the Energy Audit officer further develop his skills to meet up with current trends.

CCD: CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT YOU CONSIDER AS YOUR MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE YOU ASSUMED DUTY?    

CSJ: I have several achievements to my credit but one readily comes to mind. In 2018, Kaduna Electricity was faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the huge Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses being recorded company wide. Hence, the top management came up with the decision to grant every Area Office the autonomy to regulate her energy consumption through the hours of supply using schedules they thought was best to achieve the desired result. They tagged it "Energy Management". However, one month into the energy management, we ironically realized that we were recording even higher Grid Meter readings. As the energy audit officer serving in Barnawa Area Office at the time, it was my responsibility to investigate the immediate and remote cause of that undesirable outcome and proffer solution(s).With the approval of the BDRO, Mr. Sunday Yahaya, I conducted a three-day investigation and my findings indicated that the customers eventually got familiar with the energy management pattern hence tried to maximize every opportunity by being on the network  for as long as possible whenever there was electricity supply and that translated to a "panic consumption" situation and consequently the high energy readings being recorded. That also put most of the company's infrastructure at risk. The outcome of that investigation made us see the need to jettison the energy management idea which I believe saved us a lot of cost we would have incurred through damaged/broken installations on our network.

CCD: ANY APPEAL/SUGGESTION TO STAFF AND MANAGEMENT?                            

CSJ: My appeal to staff is to always put in their best efforts, cooperate with management so we can all capitalize on the gains we have recorded thus far as a company. While one of my appeals to management is to find time and do a proper placement with respect to some staff's area of specialization as this will definitely improve productivity.