Energy-saving techniques

Dear Sir,

It is great to know that many residents  in Qatar have started adopting energy-saving techniques (“Residents start reducing  water, electricity use”, Gulf Times, November 14). This means that  campaigns to conserve water and electricity  are finally paying off. This should be built upon further.
I would like to make a few more suggestions to further reduce the use of electricity and water in Qatar.
lUse pressure cookers to cook. This saves both energy and time. Many people in Qatar are not aware of this effective gadget, though it is considered an essential item  in many homes in Asian countries where fuel is expensive.
lUse an automation system to control lights and air conditioning appliances, especially in big villas.
lBan the sale of incandescent lamps which is already done in many parts of the world.
l There must be government subsidy for the installation cost for all non-conventional energy producing projects. Though the price of electricity has been hiked, there is no real incentive for people to change to alternative fuels such as solar energy since the payback period is high.
l Make energy audit mandatory for all high energy users.
lProvide self-service car washes. Authorities can provide recycled water at these locations.

Narayanan, (e-mail address supplied)

Need to change school times

Dear Sir,

I believe that the present school times in Qatar need to be changed as they don’t allow children to get enough sleep. Many  scientific studies have proven that children need at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep a day for proper development of their brain.
Schools in Qatar now start as early as 7am which means children have to wake up at 5-5.30am to be  able to attend classes. This makes it difficult for children to get the 11 hours of sleep they need.   If the school time is changed to a schedule starting from 8.30am to 1.30pm,  it could solve the problem.
Also, the current age limit for KG admission needs to be set higher, one feels.  Currently,  the age limit for KG1 admission is four years which, I believe, is too early since that puts a lot of burden on the children.
The  age for  KG1 admission  should  ideally be five or even six years. In some countries, I understand, it is as late as seven years.

Anwar, mech001@gmail.com

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