New Energy Minister Terry Lister is to push for higher taxes on power-guzzling gizmos as he seeks to reverse Bermuda's addiction for fossil fuels.

Belco has reported energy use goes up 1.5 percent every year and for now Mr. Lister would be happy to have no rise before forcing a downturn.

A green paper on reducing Bermuda's reliance on fossil fuels is due by the end of the year but Mr. Lister notes with Bermuda planning four or five new hotels energy demand is likely to increase.

And changing the consumption culture is difficult said Mr. Lister with people snapping up huge flatscreen TVs which use a lot of electricity.

Duty free importation of renewable energy products is one option. He told The Royal Gazette: "Solar panels are duty free already. The challenge of going further is to ensure the product being brought in can only be used in that way.

"But taxes should go both ways, meaning the products that are less energy efficient should have a higher degree of duty and I will be talking with the Finance Ministry along those lines – if I decide I should live in a certain way I have made it my privilege and I should pay for it rather than have the whole country pay for it later on."

It could make for some more informed purchases said Mr. Lister.

Government too will have to change its mindset said Mr. Lister with policies across the board to curb power use.

He said when he drove home at night as Education Minister he would pass by a number of schools which would have lights on and he regrets not setting up a policy to stop that before he left that ministry.

Glazing of windows would also help reduce energy costs in Government.

Mr. Lister hopes electricity plants in either end of the Island can stave off the need for the proposed massive redevelopment of the Belco plant in Pembroke where two more generators and three smoke stacks are planned over 23 years.

"I know there are space and locations that Belco and Government should be looking at to see if this is possible.

"That would be something to ease the pressure of development of 2023-2025. I assume we will look at somethings at Dockyard and something at Southside."

It could also make the eastern and western parishes less vulnerable to being cut off during hurricanes said Mr. Lister.

He said solar powered homes could even generate enough electricity to put some back into the grid.

"I am looking at it on the basis of every little bit helps.

"We are relying on one source primarily and it is all coming in at the docks in St. George's, we are depending on a product which is rising in price - that is not a healthy situation.

"I think there is hope for the solar power, I think we can get some real good things done there."

He said the panels were unobtrusive - about the size of an average office desk - and can be put on a flat piece of the roof such as the porch. "You can also tilt it and put it on the side.

"Putting windmills in the yards of 30,000 homes really doesn't appeal to me at all. The windmills being considered now may well be too big."

He is open minded about electric vehicles - a subject slightly outside his remit.

"We are told to think globally and act locally. We should do our part and try and reduce emissions and energy use to be part of the global family."

Asked if it was time to reverse the trend to larger vehicles Mr. Lister said the Premier had hinted "something interesting was coming in the transport area" although he hadn't been told what that would entail.

But he said free public transport was coming while extensions were being made to ferry car parks such as Rockaway.