Children show how to save power

Chittaranjan Tembhekar | TNN

Mumbai: Around 100 families living in the plush Evershine Greens complex on New Link Road in Oshiwara may not know who their neighbours are, but they surely know about 10-year-old Unnayan Mishra, a student of Bhakti Vedanta Swami Mission School, who lives in the same complex.

People here not only know Mishra but also implement the power-saving tips he has passed on to them. Till recently, Mishra’s neighbour Bhagwan Chandnani did not know that a fully loaded washing machine and a half-loaded one used the same power. So, Chandnani is using the machine only once and has saved power, which is now evident in the bills.

Mishra is not alone. Ritika Parate (Std VII, Hiranandani Foundation School), Bhakti Lakhani (Std VIII, Greenlawns High School) and Yugal Narang (Vibgyor High School student) are some of the others in the area who have convinced their neighbours to follow several energy-saving tips to bring down their household electricity bills.

These kids are a few of the 38,000-plus people, including children from 26 schools across the city, their teachers and parents, who have started “lighting up’’ their neighbours’ minds. This huge force has come together under the banner of Energy Club, promoted by Tata Power, and their number is swelling.

“Children will make a difference. Their movement has helped people save an average 10%-12% on power bills. It’s a big hit,’’ Tata Power managing director Prasad Menon said.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET A LOWER ELECTRICITY BILL
Devices like TVs, VCRs, DVD players and mobile chargers eat up maximum power, even on standby; turn these off when not in use Switch off power from the main supply point as it saves 5% power Use dimmers to reduce electrical load and power consumption of lamps For desktop work, use tasklighting Do not use air-conditioners below 24⁰ C; you spend up to 5% more electricity for every degree below that Use tinted glass or solar windows to save 40% energy consumed by an AC

Refrain from opening the fridge too often and keep it full; if there is nothing, at least keep a container of ice in the freezer

Lowering refrigeration temperature only wastes power. Set it between 3⁰ C & 5⁰ C and the freezer temperature between 18⁰ C & 15⁰ C

Shortening the hot-water tank pipe from 10 m to 3 m will save enough energy in one month to heat water for 10 showers; thin pipes are more energy-efficient than thicker ones

Avoid use of appliances between 10 am and 8 pm as it is a peak power consumption time

Computers use up to 70% less electricity when you put them in sleep mode; so don’t use screen-savers

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights

A laptop uses up to 90% less energy than desktop models