Vikram Gour
Almost for the last more than three decades the gap between supply and demand of electric power has been steadily increasing and we have not been able to reduce the gap or we may say we have not made any serious effort to reduce the gap. In spite of the fact that the state has the highest potential in the country for hydroelectric power generation yet its forbidding cost of production has prevented the state from going in for increasing power generation. It is, therefore, imperative that we find alternate methods of reducing the gap between supply and demand.
According to economists the cheapest form of alternate energy resource is ‘energy saved’. As one unit of energy produced is equivalent to 1.25 units of energy generated taking the losses in transmission and distribution (T&D) to be only 25%(But in our state the losses are more than 60%).The reduction in (T&D) losses, the theft and misuse of electricity can significantly increase the availability of electric energy to the law abiding citizens’ for multifarious purposes of development of the state.
The above statement is more true in case of our state where T&D losses and theft/misuse amount to a whopping 65-70%. Presenting separate power budget, the Finance Minister revealed that as against Rs 4782.36 cores worth power purchase the revenue receipt from sale of power might be only about Rs 1800- cores against the target of Rs 3508 crores causing a loss of about 62%. This, however, does not include establishment, water usage, O&M charges, depreciation, and interest on loans etc that amounts to Rs 1303-crores. The total expenditure works out to 6085,36 crores that would catapult losses to 70.4%.
Of about 14503-MU of projected purchase of energy during 2014-15, the billing was only for 5849-MU resulting in Energy Loss of about 60%. Only if we are able to prevent about 50% from theft and misuse and reduce our T&D losses to National Average of 19-20% we shall be making tremendous gains in the availability of electric power to the genuine power users. Say if we save about 40% of the 60% losses and reduce the T&D losses to our national average we shall be making available 5769-MU of saved energy to the genuine consumers and add another Rs 1800-crores to state’s revenue without any additional investment,
(Imagine the cost of generation 904-MW thus saved @ 9-10-crores/MW). This would not only stabilize the power distribution system but would also increase revenue manifold. This can be done by 100% metering and strict accountability of the field staff involved in the power distribution system.
PDD started metering of the installations about 10-years back and they have not been able to meter even 50% of the total connection. The target for complete metering is revised every year. For a metered consumer, to reduce bill to his paying capacity it is essential for him to adopt means to make fair use of electricity. If you look at your last power bill you will find that with just a little extra care and alertness your power bill could be brought down.
There are some useful tips for consumers to economize on the use of energy.
* Switch off an extra light here and a fan there.
* Switch off fans and lights in unoccupied rooms.
* Change over to compact fluorescent lamps, CFL/CED
* Use washing machine at proper loads and every alternate day when the full Kg load of clothes collects. Use kitchen mixer on alternate day, if possible.
* Mix hot water in a bucket for a bath rather than a geyser shower which consumes more power and up to 90-litres of water for a bath. Get the geyser element changed every 5-6 years.
* Switch on the AC an hour later and switch off an hour earlier. Keep the windows closed after switching off to retain the cooling effect for a longer time. Clean the AC filter at least once every fortnight.
* Switch on electric iron only after getting together all the clothes to be ironed.
* Teach children and instruct domestic staff to switch off lights when not in use or even when you leave the room for a few seconds.
* In rooms use light colors for walls. This helps reduce lighting requirement up to 40%.
* Keep lights and fixtures clean and dirt free. Dust and dirt reduce the lighting level as much as 30%.
* Clean and lubricate fans regularly and replace old regulators with electronic regulators. They help reduce electricity consumption significantly at lower speeds.
* Cool the food sufficiently before storing in refrigerator. Check on gasket lining of the fridge-avoid opening the fridge frequently. Defrost the fridge once the ice gets more than 1/4″inch thick. Regular defrosting reduces the power consumption.
* Do not unnecessarily waste water in your daily cores and use water economically. This will reduce running of your water pump for filling overhead water tank.
* Look for ISI mark when buying electric appliances e.g. desert coolers, ACs, fans, electric iron, or any other appliance for domestic use.
We should avoid using heavy electric appliances during morning and evening peak load hours i.e. 6 to 9 morning and evening.
These are just few useful and easy tips to avoid excessive power usage. These tips will lead to substantial savings on your power bill- without compromising on comfort or convenience in any way. This will certainly help bridging the energy gap by cutting down on the enormous wastage in homes, offices, factories and fields.
While the above mentioned tips will effect saving on the individual bills, The J&K state which itself is paying very heavily for importing power from the various agencies from outside the state also needs to seriously ponder over how to effect saving on its import bill which runs into hundreds of crores.
The biggest culprit in wasting the electric power in the government sector is Public Health engineering department. In Jammu alone they have an installed capacity of about 50- MW in the shape of Tube Wells, Filtration Plants, and Booster Pumps etc. With all these installed equipment they pump out about 300-MLD of water per day for public use. As per the estimates worked out by ERA (Engineering Reconstruction Agency) dome time back, loss of water in distribution pipes of all sizes up to the consumer end is 57-60% (PHE department claims the loss to be only 40%). This does not take into account the loss of water due to overflow into the drains while pumping water in over head tanks at the user’s place. Thus with 60% loss the wastage works out to 30-MW of electric power which costs crores of rupees to the state exchequer besides creating scarcity of power availability to the average user. Only if the water wastage/losses are reduced to 10-15% nothing less than 16-17 MW of electric power will be made available to power users besides reducing the scarcity of water as well.
The following are a few tips which if followed would certainly reduce burden on the state exchequer.
* Creation of awareness among masses about energy efficiency through mass media (both print and electronic) campaigns and educational programmes right from the school level with the help of NGOs wherever necessary.
* Dissemination of information on energy consumption and energy conservation potential in various sectors.
* Strengthening energy audits capability in the state at all levels both at the receiving end as well as at the consumer end and strictly hold the department accountable for any loss of energy at any level right up to the consumer end.
* Training of technical and managerial personnel on Energy Management.
* Execution of technical and policy studies on energy conservation.
* Determine standards for equipment and processes and evolving norms for energy consumption in various sectors.
* Direct regulation and legislation relating to energy consumption.
* Improve the existing infrastructure for transmission and distribution of power supply to the universally accepted standards so as to reduce the T&D losses to nationally accepted norms.
By a combination of the above measures, the State Government (PDD) can attempt to create conditions in the economy to promote energy conservation. But these can be effective only if the energy consumers also take affirmative and positive action for energy conservation.
(The author is President Consusmer Welfare Association)
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