The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Union Ministry of Power, is conducting an energy audit in large municipalities of Uttar Pradesh.
The exercise will cover all government buildings, street ights and sewage system. A databank will be prepared on the findings, listing the total energy requirements and the potential steps to save energy in the sectors.
The eight municipalities selected for the audit include Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow and Ghaziabad.
The bureau will also audit another 18 government building in Lucknow and help draw out energy-saving measures.
BEE has appointed UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) as the State Designated Agency for the project.
“The demand-supply gap is a whopping 30 per cent in UP, vis-à-vis 15 per cent in India. This calls for efficient energy management by both big and small consumers,” BEE economist Sandeep Garg said.
He added the country would always remains a power-deficit country, as the coal reserves are limited in contrast to an ever-rising demand.
“According to our estimates, energy consumption in agriculture and big commercial buildings could be almost 30 per cent more efficient.”
Citing examples of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments, Garg said state governments play an important role in controlling energy consumption by major consumers.
“The governments in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have made it mandatory for the government departments to procure only star-labelled electrical products,” he added.
BEE is also talking to big television companies to manufacture more energy-efficient products and a regulation in this regard is likely soon.
“The level of awareness regarding energy efficiency is rising and almost 80 and 100 per cent of the domestic air conditioner and refrigerator market, respectively, is now star- rated,” he added.
This year, BEE is estimating to save about 2,000 Mw of energy in India with its various energy saving programmes.
Meanwhile, it will provide touch-screen energy calculating kiosks at select sales outlets to enable salesmen to calculate the energy savings of an air conditioner and demonstrate it to customers.
This year, BEE is targeting to train 300 air conditioner outlet salesmen in Lucknow to explain the benefit of energy-efficient products in net savings.
