In the implementation of the Law on economical and efficient use of energy, Directive No.171/CT-TTg dated November 26, 2011 by the Prime Minister, Directive No.06/2011/CT-UBND and Green Energy Programme of Ho Chi Minh City in 2015 in the phase of 2011-2015, Ho Chi Minh City continues to perform its leading role in the implementation of guidelines on power saving.

Under the direction of the Party and People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Electricity and Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation were in collaboration with departments and agencies, socio-political organizations and unions, and mass information agencies to carry out continuously and synchronously programmes and methods in order to guide and mobilize customers of all areas of Ho Chi Minh City in economical and efficient use of power.  

With a variety of creative solutions, gross production of power is over 2.2 billion kWh, saving over VND3,700 billion of power purchasing cost and contributing to reducing approximately 1,228,000 tons of CO2 emission, then decreasing greenhouse effect, protecting the environment and reducing pressure on investment in power sources.

Abundant forms of power-saving propaganda

The work of propaganda is considered as a main solution that brings high effectiveness in the work of power saving. In the phase of 2011-2015, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation propagated power saving in several abundant and diversified forms.

In addition to traditional communication forms such as hanging banners, delivering leaflets, handbooks and stickers with the contents of guides to power-saving methods and appeal to save power, Ho Chi Minh Electricity Corporation also collaborated with information and communication agencies to promote forms of propaganda  such as broadcast stories, interviews, comments, news, appeals to power saving, special topics and answers related to economical and efficient use of power, promotion of propaganda about energy saving through website: www.hcmpc.com.vn

Several conferences on training in power saving such as the Conference on “Electricity sector in collaboration with local authorities for improvement and development”, other conferences on power-saving propaganda in cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority (HEPZA) for customers who have high electricity consumption inside and outside of the export processing zones, industrial zones in areas of the City, Conference on “Propaganda about power price, economical and safe use of power and reformation of power system for Landlady’s Club” in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Union for workers, students and laborers who rent houses were held in 5 years.

From 2014, Power Companies signed contracts on propagandizing power saving with Women’s Union of 24 Districts with an amount of VND480 million per year to improve the effectiveness of propaganda about power saving.

Diversified forms of training in power saving

In the phase of 2011-2014, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation collaborated with concerned agencies to organize training courses in power saving for over 23,000 activists of Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Union, Ho Chi Minh City Group, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnamese Fatherland Front Committee, veterans’ organizations from city level to district level and propagandists of Power Companies. The main content of training courses is propaganda about knowledge of legal foundations for economical use of power; energy labeling; skills in propagandizing economical and effective use of power; methods for practice in power saving in households.

Typical training courses are training programmes on knowledge of energy-labeling regulations in Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan (2013); training programmes on installation, operation and maintenance of solar-powered heaters at power companies (2013-2014), programmes on general introduction and implementation process of energy service project through ESCO model for staff of power companies in 2014.

In 2012, Ho Chi Minh Electricity Corporation cooperated with HEPZA to provide training in power saving for over 150 energy managers of priority companies.

In addition, in 2013 the Corporation also organized a study trip for the exchange of experiences of electricity demand management, load forecast and energy saving in Thailand to gain experiences of synchronous and effective implementation of programmes on energy saving and the work of propaganda about energy saving to people.

Active enhancement of energy audit

In the phase of 2012-2013, the Corporation organized training in internal energy audit for 70 trainees who are in charge of power saving. In 2013, the Corporation also combined with Ho Chi Minh Industry and Trade Department and HEPZA to organize a training course and award certificates for energy managers under the programme of Ministry of Industry and Trade for over 120 businesses.

Proactive mobilization of customers in electricity saving

Every year, the Corporation and other Power companies hold customer conferences on in order to inform customers of electricity services, abilities of power supply and policies on economical and effective use of power of the Government and City, and mobilize customers to implement thoroughly power-saving methods and use power appropriate to registered load diagrams.

A lot of programmes on mobilization of replacement of energy-saving lights were held. For instance, 50% of numbers of lights and light power was reduced with the serious implementation of on-off switching times in accordance with regulations that brought high effectiveness. In 2006, 187,000 lights in residential areas were replaced, decreasing by from 11.5 MW to 6.99MW.

Ho Chi Minh Electricity Corporation has flexible plans for each customer group. Three-phase electrometers at several prices were installed in 4,900 household businesses having electricity consumption of 2,000kWh and above. 7,500 customers having average electricity consumption of 18,000kWh and above got into remote data collection system. 7,000 customers consuming averagely 4,000kWh and more were offered care service in every 6 months.

Power companies collaborated annually with Industry and Trade Department and HEPZA to examine the performance of electricity saving in large businesses in export processing zones and industrial zones. These companies also cooperated with Economic Chamber and Industry and Trade Chamber at districts and suburban districts to check and inspect the implementation of electricity saving of administrative agencies, …

Outstanding power-saving programmes

From 2015 to 2015, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation successfully implemented variety of power-saving programmes, typically such as the programme “power-saving family” which was launched from 2010 to over 1.9 million customers with 40,000 prizes awarded from 2001-2015. In which, the number of households participating in the programme in 2014 was 744,541; electricity consumption saved was 423.57 million kWh.

Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation issued certificates to households winning the prize of “Typical power-saving family of the city”

The programme “Typical electricity-saving routes” including the reduction of 50% of the number of lights, advertising boards and signboards, decrease in the amount of electricity consumption in households, and using air-conditioner at 25 degrees Celsius and above. From 2012 to the present, over the programme has been performed on 69 routes with the participation of 14,000 customers, over 1,2 million kWh of electricity consumption saved and over VND 2,1 billion of savings .

The programme “Typical streets with aesthetic, safe and economical electricity system” aims to reform electric grid system, amend communication line wire system and repair electricity systems of households.

A lot of power-saving creation competitions such as “Ideas for saving power in 2012” were held by Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation in corporation with Saigon Liberation Newspaper. Other competitions such as “Competition for inventing slogans to propagandize power saving in 2012”, “Festival of competition for drawing caricatures in the topic of saving electricity and ensuring national energy security" were organized.

Recently, the programme on “pilot establishment of support mechanism for investment in photovoltaics in areas of Ho Chi Minh City in 2015” has been held by Ho Chi Minh Energy Conservation Center in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh Department of Science and Technology  with an expenditure of VND10 billion, and implemented from May 2015 to December 2016. The programme aims to pilot grid-connected photovoltaic model; improve technology and technical standards of measuring amount of photovoltaics transferred in the grid; pilot mechanisms of financial support and subsidize photovoltaics price; develop and increase photovoltaic installed capacity by 790kWp – 1MWp/year in areas of Ho Chi Minh City.

After 5 years of implementation of Power saving programme of Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, the performance of power saving in the city has gradually become a daily habit, a culture beauty of inhabitants. This activity not only helps saving costs for families and society but also contributes to ensuring the stable and safe supply of electricity, fulfilling the daily living requirements of people and national energy security, and contributing to achievements of socio-economic development of the city. 

Ngoc Anh