VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has advised the State Discoms to study the feasibility of introducing the world-acclaimed on-bill financing model to encourage the usage of modern energy-efficient (EE) appliances by domestic consumers.
Emphasising the need for usage of modern energy-efficient appliances by domestic consumers in the State, the APERC asked Discoms to seriously study the subject and come up with a concrete proposal for the best financing model to benefit the consumers.
In a recent meeting with the heads of power utilities in the State and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading non-profit policy research institutions, APERC Chairman Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy advised the Discoms to thoroughly study and prepare modalities for introducing the on-bill financing model, which is proving successful in several countries of the world in encouraging the usage of modern energy-efficient appliances by domestic consumers.
“No individual, stakeholder or entrepreneur can be able to generate a unit of electricity, but they can undoubtedly save one unit by adopting energy conservation and energy-efficient methods in their daily work and personal lives,” the APERC chief asserted.
He said enhancing energy efficiency that helps in protecting consumers’ interests is one of the key areas on which the APERC is focusing now. This will result in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and financial burden on households, besides benefiting the State economy, he opined.
“Energy efficiency is often the most immediate substitute to reduce the usage of fossil fuels. In order to provide major benefits to consumers, the scheme of providing EE appliances to them may hold greater importance,” the APERC chief observed.
On the occasion, officials informed the APERC that the consumer will not be financially burdened as the repayment is mostly made out from the savings achieved in electricity bills. The proposed model for usage of energy-efficient appliances will be purely a voluntary programme with the sole interest of consumers. At the same time, there shall not be any financial burden on Discoms whatsoever in the proposed model, they said.
The CEEW representatives, in their presentation, said Andhra Pradesh power sector is among the best performing sectors in the country comprising around 1.5 crore domestic consumers with 92% of satisfied grid users as compared to the national average of 77%.
The CEEW, in coordination with Discoms and the AP State Energy Efficiency Development Corporation, will study all the possible modalities regarding the on-bill financing model or any other model to support consumers and submit a report to the APERC.