A summer of power crisis is looming large. After commercial consumers, the Bescom is all set to go after household consumers to bring down energy consumption. Household consumers will be asked to switch off their refrigerators, ACs and other household electric appliances during peak hours between 6 and 9 both mornings and evenings. Bescom, which has been tackling increasing power demand in the city, had first started with commercial consumers. “In every possible way, we are trying to bring down consumption. By bringing restrictions on the commercial lines, we have been able to save about 150 MW daily,” said Mr Ashok Angadi, chief engineer, Bescom.
Bescom had earlier approached commercial consumers and had held educative sessions. It has now planned a similar drive for household consumers. With the help of posters and advertisement campaigns, it will soon spread the message to reduce power consumption during peak hours. The power saving campaign that aims to cover the entire city will ensure that there is no load shedding in the city. “If consumers can bring down the use of appliances such as ACs, refrigerators and geysers between 9 and 6 in the mornings and evenings, we can save about 250 MW of power,” said Mr Satyaprem Kumar, general manager, Demand Side Management (DSM).
The city utility claims that the power that is saved during peak hour will ensure that there are no power cuts in houses. “If consumers can understand the significance of saving power during peak hours, there can be considerable savings. This will help the utility provide seamless power, especially for children preparing for exams, hospitals, water supply and other essential services,” added Mr Kumar.
While the posters will cover bus stops and public places, the campaign to reduce peak hour load will also be done through radio and print ads.