After more than 5 years of implementation (4/2009 - 9/2014), power-saving program in 21 southern provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ca Mau under the management of Southern Power Corporation (EVN SPC) has saved more than 3 billion kWh of electricity, worth over VND 3,000 billion. Moreover, the program has initially raised the awareness of community in energy-saving and environmental protection.
For the program to go into life, EVN SPC in collaboration with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Farmers Association, unions, and provincial authorities launched a campaign to raise the participation of community to reach the target that over 50% of households in the village/ neighborhood save at least 5% of last year’s use of electricity.
According to Mr. Pham Huu Khai- Director of Dong Thap Power Company, the program "energy-saving in cultural village" has been deployed to each household and received positive response of people. "My whole family has for several years had the habit of "switching off when going out"; we now open refrigerator less, keep air temperature at 25 – 27oC, and share one television. Thus each month we can save 40 - 50kWh of electricity", said Mrs. Nguyen Thi Cam Tao in Hamlet 2, My Tan commune, Cao Lanh City.
The program of “energy-saving in cultural village” in Giong Trom district, Ben Tre province has engaged hundreds of households to sign a pledge to save from 6 - 10% of electricity use and over 80% of households to use electricity safely and economically. People working in gardens, aquaculture areas from the Southeast to the Mekong Delta now have a better awareness of power saving to save costs.
To obtain these results, in addition to the active propaganda to each household, EVN SPC has established 523 cultural villages/neighborhoods of power saving with nearly 220,000 households participating, and coordinated with businesses to subsidize 1.3 million compact fluorescent light bulbs, replacing 95,000 light bulbs by compact 20W, supporting the installation of 17,000 water heaters using solar energy and advocating 19,000 producers, businesses to save from 5 - 10% of power. The obvious gain of the program is that it has gradually changed the perceptions and habits of saving power of the customers, especially people in the rural areas.
In 2013, Dong Thap province saved 40 million kWh, accounting for 2.64% of the total commercial electricity. Tien Giang province saved nearly 40 million kWh and expects to save 42 million kWh in 2014. Tien Giang Power Company has promoted propagating campaign with over 260,000 leaflets on manual electrical safety to the families, common skills of power saving, launched the program of energy-saving in cultural village which received active participation of nearly 4,300 households.
By Yen Pham