After Energy Efficient Bulbs, Government Launches National Programmes for Smart Pumps for Farmers and Energy Efficient Fans

EESL will distribute 2 lakh Smart SIM-enabled Agricultural Pumps sets free of cost to the farmers in AP

In order to make country more energy efficient, the Union Government today launched two schemes namely National Energy Efficient Agriculture Pumps Programme and National Energy Efficient Fan Programme in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The programme was launched by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu during the inaugural session of the two-day International workshop on energy efficient lighting. These Schemes will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), a JV of PSUs under Ministry of Power.

Under the National Energy Efficient Agriculture Pumps Programme, farmers can replace their inefficient pumps free of cost with the new BEE star rated energy efficient agricultural pump-sets. These pumps will come enabled with smart control panel and a SIM card, giving farmers the flexibility to remotely control these pumps from their mobile phones and from the comfort of their homes. EESL will distribute 200,000 BEE star rated pump-sets to the farmers under this programme, which will lead to 30% of energy savings by 2019. This translates into an annual savings of approximately Rs 20,000 crore on agricultural subsidies or a saving of 50 billion units of energy every year.

With the usage of these 50 Watts BEE 5 Star rated ceiling fans, to be distributed under the National Energy Efficient Fan Programme, it is estimated that consumer's electricity bills will reduce by about Rs. 700-730 per year. Therefore, the cost recovery of purchasing these fans is less than 2 years. These fans are30% more energy efficient as compared to conventional fans, which range from 75-80 Watts. At present, two energy efficient fans will be provided to each consumer at Rs 60 a month per fan on EMI basis. The EMI amount will be added to the consumers' electricity bills for two years. This scheme will be available to the consumer on providing a copy of latest electricity bill along with a copy of residence proof at the designated distribution centre. The consumer can also purchase the fan by paying Rs. 1250/- upfront.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri N Chandrababu Naidu called upon the people to feel responsibility of saving energy which is a big challenge the nation is facing. He said that the State government is moving ahead with innovative ideas in saving energy. Shri Chandrababu Naidu also said that when Visakhapatnam was hit by Hudhud cyclone last year, the government replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LED which saved 21,000 mw of power and also saved money of the State exchequer.

Stating he was the harbinger in bringing reforms in Electricity Board functioning, Shri Naidu said Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to adopt more than 1.8 crore LED bulbs under the UJALA scheme which has helped the state government to save Rs 2.6 crore daily. Andhra Pradesh has always been a pioneer in adopting Energy efficiency programmes. To add to the success of UJALA in the state we will now implement energy efficient fan programme and the energy efficient agriculture pumps programme. This will help us to manage our peak demand and in-turn help the state become energy sufficient.

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