The Head of the Department of Administrative Science FIA UI, who is also an urban planning observer, Muh Azis Muslim, assesses that the effectiveness of energy-saving policies depends heavily on implementation in the field.

However, in terms of design, Azis said that this policy is already aimed at a fairly large savings impact.

“If we look at the eight steps set by the government, they have the potential to be effective, as long as there is implementation supervision, education to the public, and consistency of application,” Azis told kumparan, Wednesday (1/4).

According to him, the two policies that have the most significant impact are the implementation of work from home (WFH) and the expansion of car free day (CFD). Both steps directly reduce the daily mobility of the community, which so far has been a major contributor to energy consumption in urban areas.

“From the transportation sector, of course, this will be able to bring a significant impact, because daily mobility is undergoing changes,” he said.

Azis explained that the reduced use of private vehicles due to WFH and CFD has the potential to suppress fuel consumption directly.

However, Azis warned that the magnitude of the energy-saving impact still depends on infrastructure support, especially public transportation.

In big cities like Jakarta, the transportation system is considered relatively more prepared. Conversely, in other regions, this readiness is still a challenge.

“Public transportation will determine the extent to which the shift from private vehicles to public transportation can occur,” he explained.

In addition to infrastructure factors, changes in community behavior are also key.

Without a sustainable shift in mobility patterns, it is feared that the impact of the policy will only be temporary, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If it is not balanced with structural and institutional changes, it could be that the effect is only temporary. After conditions return to normal, community behavior could return to the way it was before,” he said.

On the other hand, Azis also highlighted the policy of budget refocusing and the development of renewable energy as strategic steps that support long-term efficiency.

According to him, this policy becomes momentum to strengthen fiscal resilience while directing state spending to more productive sectors.

For information, these eight energy-saving policies include the implementation of WFH for ASN, restrictions on official vehicles, efficiency of official travel, encouragement of WFH in the private sector, adjustment of the education sector, budget refocusing of up to Rp130 trillion, implementation of B50 fuel, and optimization of the Free Nutritious Meal program.

This policy is a directive from President Prabowo Subianto as a response to global dynamics, including the Iran-Israel and United States conflicts, and is referred to as part of the national work culture transformation.

Source: https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/8-kebijakan-hemat-energi-dinilai-positif-tekan-konsumsi-secara-signifikan-277wITe05am/full