Government Pushes Energy Savings Across Public Buildings 

By S.Browne. Updated 11:18 a.m., Wednesday, July 8, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Government is moving to reduce electricity costs across public buildings through a series of energy-efficiency upgrades, with the installation of LED lighting at the Financial Complex in Kingstown already reducing electricity consumption, according to officials involved in the project.

The work is being carried out by One St. Vincent Group (OSV) under a government contract and forms part of a wider programme aimed at improving energy efficiency at public facilities.

Speaking during a tour of the Financial Complex, Kensley Ward of One St. Vincent Group said the company has completed the largest phase of the project by replacing the building’s interior lighting.

“We have been contracted by the Government to put some energy efficiency measures in place at the Financial Complex here where we are, and two other buildings,” Ward said.

He explained that the building’s original two-foot by four-foot fluorescent light fixtures, each fitted with four bulbs and consuming about 128 watts, have been replaced with LED retrofit panels that use a maximum of 50 watts. Many of the new panels have also been adjusted to operate at about 20 watts in areas where lower light levels are suitable.

“This building had 486 of those two-by-four lights,” Ward said. “You’re saving quite a bit of current by slashing the amount of consumption by more than half.”

Ward said electricity bills show the building has recorded a reduction of between 5,000 and 8,000 kilowatt-hours in electricity consumption since the lighting upgrade.

“We’ve noticed just by checking the bills, you’ve had about between 5,000 to 8,000 kilowatts of power reduction since we changed out those lights,” he said.

Ward said work at the Financial Complex will continue with the replacement of the building’s exterior lighting.

He also encouraged households to consider switching to LED lighting to help reduce their electricity bills.

“If you’ve had an old type of bulb in your house, you can switch that out for an LED bulb,” Ward said. “If you start to do those sorts of measures, you will definitely notice that you save energy.”

Ward also recommended solar-powered outdoor lighting as another way to reduce electricity use.

“Solar lights are now becoming a big thing. You want to keep your outside illuminated, go solar. You don’t have to run wire to it, you don’t have to pull electricity. It works for you 365 days.”

Meanwhile, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Base is also expected to benefit from government efforts to improve energy efficiency through the planned expansion of its solar power system.

Lieutenant Commander Enos Hamalette said the base has high electricity consumption, particularly when the Coast Guard patrol vessel Captain Hugh Mulzac is alongside and connected to shore power.

“If I’m to give an example, on a monthly basis with the ship alongside, the bill may be roughly $29,000 and if the vessel goes out to sea and patrol for like a week and a half, you will see the bill reduce significantly to like $17,000 for that month,” Hamalette said.

He said expanding the solar installation would help reduce the Coast Guard’s monthly electricity costs.

“I think that would be a great help if that project comes to fruition and it’s completed. It would significantly help to reduce the amount of energy that is consumed on the base monthly,” Hamalette said.

He added that lower energy costs could also improve working conditions by allowing greater use of air conditioning in administrative offices.

“If we can get that reduction, then that would go a long way to reduce the bill and save the amount of money that is spent monthly on energy consumption,” he said.

The upgrades at the Financial Complex and the planned expansion of solar power at the Coast Guard Base form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to reduce energy consumption and operating costs across public buildings.

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