Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya made the suggestion as he delivered a “Home Economics 101” lesson to the heads of the main government offices on the island at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday (Mar 7).
“I have been informed that the Ministry of Interior was randomly checking official utility bills and found that the cost of running government offices in Phuket has increased,” V/Gov Teera said.
The increase in the provincial utility bills ranged from electricity and water use, to EMS post and telephone bills, V/Gov Teera explained.
“This does not match government policy to reduce their costs to save taxpayer’s money,” he said.
“We are considering installing solar panels on the roof of Provincial Hall and charging fees for using Provincial Hall meeting rooms,” he said.
“We are also considering taking other measures to offset the rising costs of running government offices,” he added.
V/Gov Teera reminded officials to turn off air conditioning during lunch hours.
“There is no need to turn on every aircon in the building,” he said.
“Also, set the temperature to 25-26ºC and turn aircon on only 10-15 minutes before a meeting and turn it off immediately after the meeting,” he said.
“And turn off the light every time you no longer need it,” he said.
Regarding water use, V/Gov Teera reminded the agency chiefs, “Turn taps off properly and check pipes for leaks, and be mindful of how much water is used to water the plants and gardens.”
Regarding communications in the Internet era, V/Gov Teera also noted, “Do not use office telephones for for personal use, and use email instead of fax and telephone to contact people outside the office.”
“If official letters must be sent by post, use normal registered post instead of EMS,” he added.