Energy use in state-run industrial units is much higher than the usual requirement due to the use of old machinery and absence of energy efficiency mechanisms, officials said.
The lack of technical knowledge about energy efficiency and conservation is also a reason behind the higher use of power, they added.
The Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) recently conducted an energy audit on four industrial units under the Ministry of Industries and found evidence of the excessive energy use.
SREDA Chairman Mohammad Alauddin told the FE that the authority had conducted the energy audit on 12 public buildings.
"By this way we could assume where energy is being wasted and scopes are there to improve the situation," he said.
Mr Alauddin said the audit report would be published soon which could create awareness among the officials of other industrial units about the power wastage.
He said SREDA wanted to create awareness among the officials to stop wastage of energy.
"We will train the government officials on energy efficiency and conservation system," said Mr Alauddin.
SREDA conducted the audit on Bangladesh Insulator and Sanitaryware Factory (BISF), DAP Fertilizer Company Ltd, Eastern Cables Limited, and Eastern Tubes Limited (ETL) where the wastage of power was detected.
SREDA chairman thinks that a deeper audit on energy use on these factories can help detect actual wastage of electricity there.
In Bangladesh, he said, so far no formal audit on energy use by the industrial units has been conducted.
According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Master Plan, the power use in industrial units will increase by 2.84 times and in the residential sector by 2.08 times in 2030 compared to 2015.
As per the master plan, in 2015 the industrial sector used 47.8 per cent, residential sector 30.5 per cent, transport sector 11.5 per cent, agriculture sector 5.3 per cent, and commercial sector 4.8 per cent of total energy generation.
In 2015, of the total industrial sector use, textile and garments sector was using 30 per cent, chemical fertiliser sector 13.2 per cent, steel making and re-rolling sector 5.7 per cent, cement grinding 2.9 per cent, chemical production sector 2.5 per cent, cold storage sector 2.5 per cent and other sectors 45.2 per cent.
If energy efficiency and conservation measures are taken, the consumption in the textile and garments sector can be lowered to 17.6 per cent, steel making and re-rolling sector to 3.8 per cent, cement grinding sector to 2.0 per cent, chemical production to 2.2 per cent and other sectors to 34.8 per cent.
There is a potential to save some 31 per cent electricity by taking energy efficiency and conservation measures, according to the master plan.
The government has set a target to reduce 15 per cent energy intensity by 2021 and 20 per cent by 2030 on base year 2013-14.
