Usage of air-conditioners (AC) is prohibited till March 1, 2007 in all government establishments and funded and controlled bodies. Blowers should be used for air circulation. After the above said date, central ACs can be operated but such that the temperature is not below 23 degree C.
In the same period refrigerators in offices shall not be run or will be sent to government hospitals or dispensaries, where they can be put to better use. Natural daylight should be used to the maximum. Use of illuminated signboards, decorative displays, etc is banned. Except for the peak office opening and closing hours, only 50 per cent of the lifts should be used.
The voltage at the output terminal of the distribution transformer should be set at 220 volts as a 2-3 per cent reduction in supply will result in 4-6 per cent energy savings, without affecting performance.
Switching on and off of all street lights can be advanced between December and June as duration of daylight increases.
With discipline in usage of electricity, 10 per cent energy saving is possible. All employees should inculcate the habit of switching off lights and fans when not in use.
To ensure the above instructions, the state designed agency will appoint voluntary energy observers.
These are excerpts from the order issued by the chief secretary to the Andhra Pradesh government, early this year.
This was in response to the acute power shortage in the state. The AP government decided to go by what many studies said: “efficient and responsible use of power can result in considerable savings in energy consumption and reduction in demand”.
Instead of promising more free power, announcing more generation capacities, AP has realised that a unit of power saved is equal to three generated.
This is the only solution available if India is to achieve the vision of electrifying all households by 2012, something which means almost doubling the present generation capacity in five years! Even if one were to increase energy efficiency, accelerate the contribution from renewables, etc — this demand cannot be met, unless energy conservation takes on a meaningful role. Almost 35 per cent of the world population without access to electricity live in India.
The Union government has projected a need for Rs 9 lakh crore in the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans for fresh capacity additions. Along with the states and other ministries, this will mean Rs 50 lakh crore in the coming decade to meet energy requirements alone! Already our oil imports stand at Rs 1,80,000 crore and coal imports are poised to cross 20 per cent.
It is in this regard that a group of engineers under the banner IAEMP decided to bring out a vision document of energy independence by 2022, eight years before the time set by former president A P J Kalam. Unlike energy security, which means availability of energy sources within the nation that can meet all its demand, energy independence works on an approximate self-reliance that does not affect the mainstream economic activity.
The group has prepared a document on how to achieve this vision through a determined mission approach. It looks at the path followed so far, critically, and points out its pitfalls and suggests ways to address them. It begins with an advocacy of a ministry of energy efficiency and renewable energy (MEERE), which could be an union of the MNRE (ministry of new and renewable energy), BEE (Bureau of energy efficiency), PCRA (Petroleum conservation research association), Ireda (Indian renewable energy development agency) and state nodal agencies.
This would eliminate delays due to lack of coordination, facilitate effective use of human resources, minimise corruption and streamline the efforts of other agencies — working at cross purposes.
There is confusion regarding the Energy Conservation Act passed in 2001, with authorities unsure about its “voluntary” approach. The very fact that it is an Act should leave no space for such speculation but till date no action has been taken to enforce it. An appellate body is yet to be constituted to try cases. No inspectors have been appointed by state nodal agencies. The mission document calls for a change from the “voluntary” nature of the Act. In what could be a unique step, it calls for an energy protection force (EPF) to prevent pilferage and theft of energy.
The document calls for energy efficiency. It highlights simple steps that can be followed at home, office, transport sector, agriculture, commerce, municipal corporations, to conserve energy.
The time bound action plan has been prepared with start and finish dates and the names of agencies or ministries responsible for the activities. It would also generate employment while helping the government bring down its energy bill. A five-tier organisation headed by the Prime Minister, all the mission offices at the Centre, zones, state and district would be staffed with competent persons with knowledge of the energy sector.
Funds requirement would be a miniscule 0.1 per cent of the budget compared to the 30 per cent allocated to meet energy demand.