How can Housing Societies reduce Electricity Bills?

One of the significant shares of the total maintenance bill is the electricity bill for the common area in any apartment. The expense is even higher in societies with STP/ WTP, borewells, and other high-end amenities like a gym, temperature-controlled swimming pool, etc. With moral choices and strict monitoring, this expense can be easily reduced by 20% -30%.

As the electricity charges have been continuously increasing, it is the need of the hour for the RWAs and MCs to spread awareness among residents and maintenance staff to optimize electricity usage and adopt measures to bring efficiency to the system. Following are a few steps not limited to which can be implemented:

First thing – First, KNOW YOUR ELECTRICITY USAGE!

The first step to any solution is first to identify the problem. Make a conscious effort to list down your electricity usage. Listing all the electric appliances, motors, and common area lights will help you plan accurately. Start with the historical electric consumption trend from the electricity bill, and list the electric light schedule.

Once you have the listing, the next step is to identify the area of improvement:

Install Solar Panels

You can consider installing an off-grid or grid-tied rooftop solar system, especially for running common areas of society. This will be a one-time investment with approximately 15 years of zero utility bills (excluding maintenance and upkeep). During the daytime, all energy needs will be directly met by the sunlight; the rest is taken care of by battery storage. Backup batteries (or main supply) can always be used in case of cloudy weather. The government gives a 40% subsidy on solar system installation.

If you don’t want to block the money, there are few investors in the market who offer PPA (Power Purchase agreement) model. In this, the investor puts the solar plant at your premises and maintains the same for the agreed time; they charge you at a highly subsidized rate. You can reduce your bill by half without spending any money.

Invest in Technology, which brings efficiency

IoT-enabled smart devices help in better control over your electric usage. A smart electric meter sends the electric usage information at regular intervals, enabling you to identify excessive use. Billing efficiency is expected to get better by 75-100% through the deployment of smart meters since they entail minimum billing errors and increase cost-effectiveness.

Motion sensors, and digital switches/ timers, can help in reducing power usage, allowing you to schedule and make sure lights are only turned on when there is any movement.

Replace traditional filaments with LED lights with a high energy star rating and luminous efficiency. LED lights are known to use up to 75% less energy. For open areas like gardens, playground uses LED flood lights which give higher light output by consuming less power.

Use water level controllers, which can shut down the pump once the tank is at total capacity.

Regularly maintain the electric appliances

Regularly maintain heavy electric appliances like water pumps, borewell motors, etc., by oiling/greasing. Check the current drawn by such a machine to make sure these are not using over power. Such efforts also help to increase the life of the appliance as well.

Change the plan for your STP/ WTP/ OWC

The plan can be updated from the regular resident/ commercial plans to a special usage plan for Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP)/ Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and Waste Management Plant (OWC). These are highly subsidized plans and can help reduce the bill by up to 60% than the regular bill plan.

About IntelliSpace Solutions

IntelliSpace Solutions is fast growing home automation company that helps housing societies become Electric & Water efficient. Our experienced team surveys the housing societies and helps them identify areas of improvement.

To book an appointment, call us at +91-7068968970 or send an email to inquiries@intellispace.co.in

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