The domestic electricity sector forecasts that in summer 2010 the supply of power will be insufficient due to unfavorable weather condition. The reservoirs of hydro-power plants are becoming short of water due to expanding droughts and therefore they cannot operate at their full capacity all day.

So, cutting off electricity by zone on a temporary basis to save power is unavoidable. Moreover, from March 1, 2010, the price of electricity has increased by VND948.5 (8.92 percent) per kWh compared with the price of 2009. So each family has to pay a higher electricity bill. For those reasons, it is an urgent need to save power.

Adjusting electricity measurement to avoid energy waste

To save electricity, Trinh Van Duc residing in Hon Gai ward, Quang Ninh province has replaced all bulbs in his house with energy-efficient compact lamps.

He said that the replacement and power-saving practices have helped his family save a considerable amount of money. For example, previously, they did not turn off the television or kept them at the standby status when nobody watched it, wasting much electricity. But now they have changed this habit.

All members in his family now are aware of the need to save electricity. They have changed the way of using electrical appliances such as washing machine, iron and electric rice cooker (now they operate the washing machine at the right capacity, they do not use the iron where the air conditioner is working, and they do not cook rice too early but 30-45 minutes before eating to reduce the time required for warming up). They turn off all electrical appliances whenever they do not use them.

Presently, at some shops selling electrical appliances in Quang Ninh province, super-efficient fluorescent lamps are best selling as many people choose them to replace the incandescent bulbs in their homes. Electrically charged fans are also selling well.

Mr. Dung, the owner of a shop selling electrical appliances on Le Thanh Tong road, Ha Long city, said that now there are on the market two types of compact lamps manufactured by the Dien Quang Lamp Joint Stock Company and the Philips Electronics Vietnam Company Limited. For families, especially low-income families, spending an additional several ten thousand dong for electricity use each month is not a simple thing. Therefore, most customers choose to buy compact lamps. In terms of energy efficiency, compact lamps are 80 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs and 40 percent more efficient than neon lamps with the same light level.

However, to save electricity thoroughly, it is necessary to replace all the old electrical appliances. It is estimated that the cost of installation of ordinary electrical appliances for a house accounts for about 20-25 percent of its construction cost. The installation cost will increase 20-25 percent if electricity-efficient appliances are used.

Thus it will be costly to use energy-efficient electrical appliances and this makes consumers hesitant when deciding to buy these kinds of products. Many people are now interested in electric fans and water heaters using solar energy - a renewable energy resource.

With a sum of VND5-8 million, customers can buy a solar water heater that can be used to provide hot water for a whole family during a time period of about 10 years.

All businesses in Quang Ninh strive to save energy

Some families are using electrical appliances with the inverter technology. Nguyen Hong Anh, a resident in Bach Dang ward, said that these appliances have a type of inverter circuit that allows users to control the consumption of electricity and change the frequency of power supply.

Therefore, the amount of electricity consumed by the above appliances is 30-40 percent lower compared with other types of appliances with the same capacity. However, these appliances are 25-40 percent more expensive than appliances of the same categories not using the inverter technology.

In fact, there’s not yet any legal document to restrict the use of electricity at families as in production facilities. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify propaganda to improve people’s awareness of the need to save electricity.

Statistics show that each year families in Quang Ninh province consume 18 million kWh of electricity and they have to pay about VND130 billion for electricity use annually. If each family saves 10 percent of the payment for electricity use, the total amount of money that can be saved will be very big. Saving electricity is saving an energy resource that is becoming scarce. Saving energy in general and saving electricity in particular require a high consensus and self-awareness of all people.

By Thuy Hang