Energy Conservation Day is not a gimmick. And it also shouldn’t be looked upon as a one time – annual event.
National Energy Conservation Day is organized on 14th December each year by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power. The aim is to demonstrate India’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation, while working towards its ambition of holistic development as part of the nation’s overall effort towards climate change mitigation.
Energy is the foundation of economic development of any country. India too, in its march towards the forefront, is a major consumer of energy, ranging from industries to agriculture, to transport to households. Thus there is an increased dependence on the need of natural resources of energy like fossil fuels and natural gas. This is leading to a severe depletion of the energy resources, and there is a need for the public to be aware of the importance of conservation of energy because these are not renewable resources, and if not used intelligently, the resources will become extinct soon. Apart from depletion of the natural resources of energy, increased consumption is also resulting in pollution of the environment.
Energy conservation means the reduction of consumption of energy, obtained by way of using lesser energy services. This results in benefits like a better and a greener environment, national security, and higher individual savings. It prevents future energy resource depletion and is at the top of sustainable hierarchy.
Keeping in mind the importance of conservation of energy, the Government of India passed the Energy Conservation Act in the year 2001. This Act aims at employing professional managers of energy, so that it can be used efficiently with optimum results. India celebrates Energy Conservation Day on December 14 every year.
Need for alternative, renewable sources of energy
Renewable energy is a clean energy resource. It has a lesser impact on the health of the environment. It is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. With the advancement of technology, these energy resources can be tapped to the optimum level, through different modern equipments including biogas plants, solar water heaters, solar cookers, street lights, pumps, wind-electric generators, water-pumping wind mills, biomass gasifiers and small hydro-electric generators.
It is common knowledge that fossil fuels are drawn from finite sources. They cannot be replenished. However, tapping the renewable energy resources will help a nation protect these finite resources, with the added advantage of reduction in production costs and overall advancement of the nation and improved environmental conditions.
At present renewable energy resources are contributing towards only 9% of the total consumption in India.
The objective of National Energy Conservation Day :
– It is aimed to propagate the message of conserving energy in every walk of life.
– To promote the process of energy conservation.
– To educate people of ways to avoid excessive and wasteful uses of energy.
– To encourage people to make use of energy efficiently in order to decrease energy consumption.
OUR ROLE AS INDIAN CITIZENS IN ENERGY SECURITY
As responsible citizens we must be aware of ways & means to make judicious use of energy.
- Less electricity used means less fossil fuels burned. It’s true that we can obtain electricity from cleaner sources of energy such as wind and solar power, but much of the electricity that we use is still from sources such as oil and coal.
- Fossil fuels are not a clean source of energy either. Conservation of electrical energy can help to reduce pollution and lessen the greenhouse gas emissions. Decreasing our demand for electricity is the only long term alternate. For as they say –
Energy efficiency is a journey not a destination.
Apart from switching off unnecessary lights and fans and saving water there are many more ways and means by which we can save energy. Some of them are:
- Car pool helps in reduction of fossil fuel consumption and one leaves lesser carbon footprints.
- Replacing Desktops with Laptops helps because the latter uses half the energy.
- Washing clothes with normal room temperature water will help save 90% more energy individually.
- Using unused ice cubes to water plants will help save water and thus energy that is required to generate water.
- Clean the condenser coils of the refrigerator every year, as dirty coils consume more energy.
- Those using electric stoves can switch off a couple of minutes earlier as the hot burner is enough to help finish the cooking. Collectively, the two mins of saved energy will amount to a lot.
- Leaving the computer even on Sleep Mode is waste of energy. So when not in use, learn to switch off the computer.
- Watering of plants before sunrise and after sunset will avoid unnecessary evaporation, thus saving water and in the process the energy required to generate it.
- One can use the advancement of Information and Technology in the day to day activities to save electricity by using sensors which detect the absence of human presence and switch off lights.
- Sensors can be used even for street lights so that, when there is no vehicle on a road, the street lights dim themselves thereby reducing the consumption of energy.
- Housing complexes can opt for solar-powered lights to keep their parks and paths lit.
The ways and means to save energy is innumerable. All that we need is the knowledge as to what would happen if we do not do the needful, and the will to be a responsible citizen and contribute towards conservation of energy.
Conclusion
Someone has truly said, ‘Waste not the smallest things created, for grains of sand make mountains and atomies infinity.’ It is the duty of every citizen of India to save energy. After all we want to leave our children a bright future, not a dark one. Ex. President Pranab Mukherjee had said, “Energy conservation implies the substitution of costly imported energy by cheap energy. This will help in reducing our foreign exchange outgo. Energy security has become synonymous with national security.”
Nature provides for every man’s needs, but not enough for anyone’s greed. Let us all pledge our support towards conservation of energy. Life itself is a form of energy; if we do not want to waste away life then how can we waste energy. Let us help India forge ahead with a healthy environment as well as sustainable natural resources.
It’s time for a better tomorrow.
Source: https://www.starranty.com/blog/my-home-my-appliances/celebrate-national-energy-conservation-day/
National Energy Conservation Day: Save Energy, Find Alternative Sources
Disclaimer: All information, data and material has been sourced from multiple authors and is for general information and educational purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor.
The views and nutritional advice expressed are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.
