PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Electricity Department has recently issued an advisory for all consumers to operate their air conditioners at or above 26 degrees Celsius to help manage the escalating power demand across the Union Territory.
In a statement issued by Superintending Engineer T Chanemougam highlighted the regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, experiencing heatwave which is leading to a significant upsurge of air conditioning units in homes, shops, industries, offices and commercial establishments. This situation has put a burden on the electricity department, causing low voltage issues in several areas. This has resulted in regular power cuts in the Union Territory.
Setting the temperature below 26 degrees Celsius leads to an abnormal rise in electricity consumption along with a spike in electricity bills.
According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) of the Government of India, setting the temperature at 26 degrees can save energy up to 6%. Further, the department has also urged major shops and commercial establishments to reduce their air conditioning loads during the evening peak hours from 6 pm to 12 am.