Amid rising electricity consumption pushing the State to the brink of a power crisis, a youth club at Muhamma in Alappuzha has initiated an ‘energy-saving contest’.
Challengers Arts and Sports Club, Muhamma has requested residents of the grama panchayat to share their most recent (April/May) and upcoming (June/July) electricity bills via WhatsApp. Households that save the most energy between the two bill periods will be rewarded with prizes.
With temperatures soaring, power consumption in Kerala hit a record high of 115.94 million units recently prompting the government to urge residents to conserve energy. “More than a contest, we launched this challenge with the sole aim of saving as much electricity as possible during the crisis period. We are receiving good responses from the residents as many have already sent their most recent bills while promising to reduce power usage. We hope the contest will help save a lot of energy,” said Vipin V.S., secretary, Challengers Arts and Sports Club.
The club has published a set of criteria. Consumers who record the highest percentage decline in power consumption in the June/July bill compared to the previous one will take away the prizes. In the case of houses where there have been functions like marriages in recent weeks, their electricity bills for prior months will also be looked into to calculate the average percentage decrease in consumption. Likewise, houses that remain closed for an extended period are not eligible to take part. Winners will be selected with the help of Kerala State Electricity Board officials.
“I have already sent my April electricity bill (₹917) for the contest. The biggest benefit is that it helped families like mine to understand the importance of saving energy. My family is trying to bring down power consumption as much as possible by turning off electrical devices such as lights and fans when they are not in use. Whether we win the contest or not, we are happy to be part of this initiative, which is in the best interest of the entire State,” says Shibu K.C. a resident of Muhamma.
The club, affiliated to the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board, has 33 members. It has been involved in various activities, including providing financial support to patients belonging to poor families, free PSC coaching to government job aspirants, and the welfare of senior citizens among others.
The bills could be sent via WhatsApp to 9020456133.
