The Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (GRENLEC) is appealing to consumers to conserve as much energy as possible in order to avoid having a huge electricity bill at the ending of the month.

On Friday, the company announced at a news conference that oil prices have reached a record high and will continue to increase into August and the months ahead.

GRENLEC said that the average price for fuel over the last three months has being above $US 4.00 per imperial gallon.

This has put fuel charge at EC$0.2599KWH for the month of August while the electricity rates are $EC0.6455KWH, the highest it has ever been for domestic customers.

Managing Director at GRENLEC, Vernon Lawrence told reporters that the demand for fuel from countries such as China and the terrorist threats in the United States have put tremendous pressure on the demand for oil.

Lawrence said GRENLEC had decided to alert the public about the situation since further escalation in fuel prices could result in additional cost to consumers.

The Managing Director disclosed that the company is pursuing different sources for its supplies so as to ensure there is no further increase in the cost of electricity to consumers.

He said the company is attempting to source natural gas from the twin isle Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as well as pursue the Venezuela Accord.

The Accord is the purchasing of oil directly from the South American country in collaboration with the Grenada government.

In the mean time the company is urging consumers to practice regular conservation guidelines such as switching off incandescent lights when they are not in use, avoid putting hot food in the fridge or freezer as well as to avoid leaving the refrigerator door open.

GRENLEC said consumers must not open doors of refrigerators unnecessarily, use cold water for laundry when ever possible, as well as avoid over drying clothes and instead take advantage of the sun.

The company has since contracted the services of Environmentalist Dr. Valma Jessamy who will educate consumers on proper conservation techniques through the production of an Electricity Conservation Guide.

She told reporters that the increase in the demand for electricity will also impact on the environment since more oil will have to be extracted to meet consumption demands.

Dr. Jessamy said her work which ends in April next year will provide consumers with a list of some 40 products that are efficient in the consumption of energy.