NEW DELHI: In a bid to reduce electricity consumption and promote energy efficiency, the Delhi government will conduct an ‘energy audit’ of its buildings, offices, and streetlights.
The primary objective of this exercise is to pinpoint areas of excessive energy use and devise strategies to manage and control it.
Apart from government buildings, all commercial malls, plazas, hospitals, institutional buildings, multi-story and high-rise non-residential buildings and industries, with an approved load of 500 kilowatts or more, will also be required to undergo a detailed energy audit as per the regulations of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
The Delhi government said that a notification regarding this matter will be issued by the government soon. According to it, all existing and new commercial malls, plazas, hospitals, multi-storey and high-rise non-residential buildings, industries, government, boards, or corporation-owned buildings, and buildings of the water supply department (in addition to consumers specified in the Energy Conservation Act, 2001) with an approved load of 500 kilowatts or more will be required to undergo a comprehensive energy audit conducted by a certified energy auditor appointed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
All such consumers must complete the energy audit within 6 months of the notification. Additionally, they will be required to conduct an energy audit once every three years and implement the recommendations of the audit report. Regarding the energy audit of government buildings and street lights across the national capital, power minister Atishi said, “The Delhi government is committed to conserving every unit of electricity.
To achieve this, an energy audit will be conducted of all government buildings under the Delhi government. This process involves measuring the actual energy consumption of various devices and appliances within the buildings, comparing it with the estimated minimum energy required for the processes, and then identifying economically and technically feasible methods to achieve energy saving.” She highlighted that the audit will provide recommendations for optimizing energy usage in the national capital, resulting in both energy and cost savings in electricity bills.
Peak power demand rose to 7,398 MW on July 21
It may be recalled that due to sultry weather, the peak power demand in the city rose to 7,398 MW on July 21, the highest this year so far. The previous highest peak demand this year was 7,226 MW on June 14. The highest-ever peak power demand of Delhi was recorded at 7,601 MW in June last year.
