Er. Akito Muru
Through your esteemed daily I would like to highlight my opinion on electricity and how its consumers are to take their own share of responsibility for efficient and uninterrupted power supply. In this fast growing world its just electricity and electricity nothing can replace it, where everything starting from your kitchen to your bedroom and off-course all the sophisticated gadgetry you possess making your life so comfortable and sophisticated, adding spice to your life to desire and yearn for life.
Electricity like any other commodity is purchased and sold where the department of power representing the Govt. of Nagaland is only a nodal agency for supplying and distributing electrical energy to the consumers, unlike other commercial commodities it cannot be procured nor stored at our convenience but it being instantaneous can only be distributed and supplied through a systematic system for which the department of power is the nodal agency for it and with the fact the our state with very limited infrastructure and resource the department tries its best to make the best use of this limited resource in giving the best of service possible to the esteemed consumers. Now, under this circumstances no matter how much of effort and energy is pumped in by the department, the whole process will be a futile exercise if there is no positive response and co-operation from the consumers, for this the basic civic sense has to be instilled in the mind of the general public.
First and foremost the general public has to understand that electrical energy consumed is not free of cost and hence it is our bounden duty and priority to pay for what we consume, we cannot ignore to pay for what we have already utilized, it is not only a disgrace to one's own image and prestige but a sin too. In this aspect though it may be harsh to mention. In a layman's term refusing to pay electricity bill is like refusing to pay for the food we eat in a hotel. Many of us readily accept and pay charges for telephone, mobile, cable T.V. etc. etc but are very reluctant and hesitate to pay light bill. Many people are readily paying your mobile bills in thousands without a word some are paying for the cable T.V in advance for months together for the fear of disconnection but are least bothered to accept the fact that in the absence of electrical energy everything starting from your kitchen to your Hi-Fi gadgets will be defunct, no water pumps, refrigerators, charging mobile phones, computers, running your Tata Sky, dish T.V, A.C etc. Now this clearly speaks volume that its electricity first and then comes other equipments similarly it should be electricity bill first then other bills because without electricity there's no reason for you to live since there's no destiny without electricity in this modern world. As mentioned earlier just because there's electricity it adds spice to your life urging you to keep going even in the most trying times, weather conditions etc. by keeping you cool from the scorching summer heat or keeping you warm in a cold winter night in your Air conditioned room.
Secondly we have been ignorant not illiterate in understanding and accepting the fact the any property owned by the state Govt. is a sole property of each and every citizen and that it is the duty of every citizen to preserve and protect it, many of us are of the view that it is the property of the Govt. so why care about it, why are you bothered even if I do not pay the light bill but it is high time for us to be more responsible citizen and learn that destruction of the Govt. property is destruction to our personal belonging. The down fall of the Govt. is downfall of the people.
Thirdly we have to educate ourselves to conserve Electrical energy which is the solution for economical, consistent and improved power supply. Let us work on simple but very interesting facts and figures in our journey towards conserving energy.
Consider a house fitted with just 6 (six) nos. Incandescent lamp (ordinary bulb) of 100 W, where it is burnt for an average 10 hrs a day. The bill works out to 6 X 100 W X 10 hrs. = 6000 Watt-hour = 6 KWH =6 units a day. (1 unit means 1000 watts burnt for one hour). i.e 6 units a day means 6units X 30 days = 180 units a month. This works out to Rs. (30x2.3 + 70x 2.9 + 80x3.2) + 5 =Rs.533
Had this incandescent lamps been replaced with a low power consuming CFL lamps or Fluorescent tubes which are mostly 18 W, 20 W, 36 W, 40 W etc. The bill worked out for same number of lamps and same period if 20 W CFL or tube light is used works out to be as below.
6 lamps X 20 W x 10 hrs =1200 Watt-hour =1.2 KWH= 1.2 units for one month the consumption = 30 x 1.2= 36 units
Bill for 36 units = Rs. (30x2.3 + 6x2.9) + 5= Rs. 91.4
Total saving works out to be Rs. 533.00 - 91.00 =Rs. Rs.442.00 in a month
Hence in a year you save Rs. 422.00 x 12 = Rs 5304.00
If the above suggestion is well taken, then Dimapur alone with a consumer of approximately 37,000 (including commercial and industrial etc) the saving in Rupees will work out to be Rs. 5304 x Rs. 37000 =Rs.196248000 =Rs 19.62 crores a year.
The above load condition is a very rare phenomenon rather many of the modern houses are fitted with much more electrical fittings and equipments under this circumstances in addition to replacing with CFL and fluorescent lamps we can save even more energy and money by judiciously using electrical energy, such as putting off the lamps when not in use, switching off your electrical equipments such as AC, fan, PC's etc when not in use, many consumers are in the habit of constantly putting the refrigerators on even when not required especially in the winter. Preserving energy not only helps in reducing your bill but prolongs electrical equipments right from your kitchen up to the distribution transformers due to the fact the every thing has its own life hence switching off your equipments when not in use automatically enhances the life of your equipments.
Before I wind up I would make it very clear to our readers that this article has nothing to do with anyone in person and in no way intends to hurt the sentiments of a single person it is purely with the intention to make ourselves aware of electricity and preserving it so please read it positively and for sure we will gain out of it.
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