Recently, the stakeholders in Can Tho City have launched a movement to save power with the theme "Let's join hands to save power for environmental protection", which attracted numerous participants from the inner city to the rural areas. To date, more emulations in power savings achieved plenty of positive results, gradually setting up the habits and skills to use electricity safely, effectively and efficiently.

Heading towards the goal of "every house saves power, everyone is a power saver", the Electricity Company of Can Tho City, in collaboration with other concerned stakeholders, has been developing a family model of power saving, to encourage mass units, unions and households in the locality to participate.

Along with the propagation and dissemination of good practices of power savings, such as replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, utilization of natural light and wind, proper usage of power at the right time and right place, to the people from all walks of life; the Company displayed with hung posters, placards with the guidance for power savings in the residential areas, industrial zones, governmental offices, the main routes through the urban districts in the city. Also, the Company provided consultant advice in encouraging people to choose and purchase the  power saving labeled equipment when they wanted to change old equipment and home appliances; it also coordinated with the solar water heater manufacturers to support the needy customers.

In parallel with those activities, the power supply units in the district are active in counseling, guiding customers to use electricity economically, suitable to local conditions; to raise public awareness about power-saving and effective use of power, contributing to environmental protection.

To improve the quality of the emulation in power savings, the power sector holding the key role, in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade, and mass unions, city-based associations and other cities launched an emulation in power saving with the motto "An action from each member of grass root branch; A practical activity from local association to join hands in power savings for environmental protection ".

On that basis, each unit, and each mass organization, would choose a good practice for outreaching applications, contributing to the power saving movement, which is growing both in extension and in depth, creating motivation to improve the efficiency and quality of the emulation.

Thanks to the synergized efforts of the electricity sector and the stakeholders in the city, the emulation in power savings has outreached every corner of the city and achieved more positive results. In 2014, the total power consumption across the city decreased by 771,000 kWh compared to that in 2013. The effect of the emulation is not only the saved power, but also a positive change in mindset of the communities, reflected by their economical practice in the proper and efficient use of electrical power .

Mr. Nguyen Tan Lac, the Deputy of Inspection and Supervision of Power Purchase, Electricity Company of Can Tho City, said : "In 2014, thanks to the synchronous and complete deployment of the planned activities for propagation and communication in coordination with mass organizations, associations and companies, the movements and emulations in power savings achieved many positive results. The main objectives of the emulation in power saving in 2014 were not only confined to the identification of those households who had reached the targets to give them the award, but also meant to reduce the power consumption, and pollution emissions, for protection of national resources." And in 2015, to improve the efficiency of power saving, the company will expand and scale up the best practices in the power saving emulation to reach all classes of people in the city.

By Do Trong Tan