During the past time, the Can Tho City Power Company in collaboration with other relevant departments of the city actively implemented the measures to propagate and mobilize people to join the emulation of power savings. These programs not only bring real benefits to the people but also build good habits in using electricity safely, economically and efficiently in the community.

Development of the habit

According to Can Tho city Power Company, through four years of implementation, the emulation in power savings has been strongly effective, attracting many people from urban to rural areas to participate.

To form the habit of safe, economical and efficient use of electricity, the Can Tho city Power Company has cooperated closely with the local mass organizations of various levels in promoting extensive propagation of measures and practices in power-saving practices to every household.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Dao, Chairman of Women's Union of Ba Lang ward, Cai Rang District, said: "For the message on safe, economical and efficient use of electricity to be extensively spread, the Women's Union of Ba Lang Ward developed a model of smart mobilization of the people to practice power savings. Accordingly, the women members throughout the ward were encouraged to use electricity with safety and savings, by using the power when necessary, taking the advantage of natural light and natural ventilation during the day, using a fan instead of an air conditioning when the weather is not too hot, selecting the power-saving devices for procurement and usage, replacing the incandescent bulbs with energy saving compact lamp, each family turns off a light in peak time between 18 hours to 22 hours to save the living cost for the family. In addition, for each type of power consuming devices, such as lights, fans, television, rice cooker, water heater, air conditioning it is advised to comply with the common practice "turn them off when not in use".  Those are the practical actions and easy to apply, a contribution into building a routine good habit for the people, bringing about useful benefits for any family.   

The Women's Union of Ba Lang Ward are providing instructions for the people to exercise power savings practices.

Recently, Can Tho Power Company also promoted the active role and widespread communication to introduce effective and creative solutions to each locality. Working in collaboration with mass associations, unions the Can Tho Power Company convinces the people to use electricity with safety, conservation and efficiency by means of practical work, contributing to the movement of electricity savings to be extensively spread in the community.

Mr. Kim Dong, Party cell secretary of Thoi Hoa B hamlet, Co Do town, Co Do district, said: "Recently, Thoi Hoa B hamlet actively implemented power saving solutions, we distributed leaflets, user's manuals for economical use of electricity  into the hands of the people. Specifically, Thoi Hoa B hamlet is habited by the Khmer people, thus the communication on the safe, economical and efficient use of electricity should be carried out with flexible measures. Therefore, in addition to deploying the common popular solutions in cities, and villages, we  also incorporates the communication in the festival community activities in Thoi Hoa B, we  gradually helped the Khmer people understand the significance and benefits of using electricity with safety, conservation and efficiency.

With those efforts, the models such as  "Family of Power Savings", "Cultural Hamlet of Power Savings" have been promoted to save daily living expenses which are enthusiastically welcome by the Khmer people in Thoi Hoa B hamlet. Many Khmer people in Thoi Hoa B Hamlet get actively involved in mobilizing their nearby relatives and neighbors to join the energy saving practice and they achieve good results.

Positive effects

Thanks to the uniformity and consistancy in the implementation of the proposed contents of the communicative messages and the mobilization of the mass organizations and the unions, working in association with Can tho Power Company, the emulation movements on power savings have achieved many positive results. Many households have learned and apply the best practices in their domestic work, contributing to building good habits in economical use of electricity.

Ms. Duong Thi Bui, team 2, Ba Lang ward, Cai Rang District, said: "Currently, my family use various devices of power consumption, so we set goals for electricity savings per month. To do this, the members of the family always comply with the rule of "turning off the light when going out and on when coming in", we often remind each to use power only when it is necessary. In addition, I myself also do some research on how to use power with conservation and rational utilization on domestic appliances, like the setting of appropriate temperature for the refrigerator,  suitable for food storage conditions, the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs, cooking a meal for about 30 minutes, limiting the use of iron and washing machine at peak hours. Unplug electrical devices from the electrical outlet when they are not in use ... ". With small actions in the daily electricity use, the electricity bills of Ms. Duong Thi Bui's family are reduced by VND 100,000/ month.

Ms. Dao Thi Hien, Thoi Hoa B village, Co Do town, Co Do district, said: "When participating in the program "Families of Power Savings", I received the handbook, the leaflets with instructions to practise electricity savings. In addition, I was also shown by the village-based officials on how to achieve economical use of power during the festival community activities ... Thus, my family knows how to use electrical appliances in the home reasonably, to contribute to some savings of the living cost". According to Ms. Dao Thi Hien, the power-saving emulation program was very useful, not only to help households use electricity rationally for domestic savings but also to create a habit in using electricity  economically for every member of each family.

In 2015, Can Tho Power Company in coordination with the Department of Industry and Trade, unions, mass organizations and associations in the city promoted the advocacy and communicative activities, calling for power savings in the business community, business production facilities and the people. With the efforts in the power savings emulation, in 2015 the city saved nearly 42 million kWh of electricity. Furthermore, to disseminate the messages on electricity savings to more people in the community, in 2016 PC Tho will continue to coordinate with the concerned sectors for replication of the typical models, and to set up power savings model appropriate to the actual circumstance. At the same time, it is planned to organize extra training courses to enhance the communication skills in disseminating the messages about safe, economical and efficient use of electricity for staff at all levels of mass organizations; so that they can do the job of dissemination and implementation of practical measures to save energy with creativity, a contribution into raising the awareness of safe, economical and efficient use of electricity for people from all walks of life. Thus, the electricity savings movement could be extensively widespread, to bring substantial benefits to the community and contribute to environmental protection.

Trong Tan