Bangaloreans encouraged to

To generate awareness about energy savings and inculcate a sense of responsibility towards the environment, Racold Thermo in association with Green Energy Foundation (GEF) Thursday announced the launch of the ‘Switch2Green’ in Bangalore.

Switch2Green contest is an initiative to recognize the diligent, systematic and serious efforts by housing societies for efficient utilization and conservation of energy

The contest is open to housing societies, comprising 100 flats and above in Bangalore City. It requires each participating housing society to form an Energy Management Committee under the leadership of its chairman.

The performance of the nominated housing society will be judged through a survey that will be administered through volunteers and then evaluated by a jury panel. Based on the analysis of the energy savings programs and initiatives undertaken by the Energy Management Committees of the societies, winners will be decided and prizes will be given to the housing societies. Plan is to cover 10,000-12000 households in Bangalore through this initiative. The prizes for the top three winning (energy efficient) societies are; Rs. 2 lac, Rs. 1 lac, and Rs. 50,000.

In its first phase, the campaign was successfully run in Pune garnering participation from 8000 households. Through this contest, approximately 48,000 units of energy were saved.

Speaking at the Bangalore edition launch of Switch2Green,  Mathew Job, M.D of Racold Thermo Ltd. said: “With the continuing deficit in energy availability vs. demand and keeping in mind our responsibility towards the environment, it is essential to adopt energy-efficient technologies. Efficient and smart utilization of energy resources is not only good for the environment but can help one save money without sacrificing comfort and lifestyle. We at Racold Thermo are glad to partner with the Green Energy Foundation (GEF) to take the initiative “Switch2Green” forward. We are confident of a high level of enthusiastic participation from the highly knowledgeable citizens of Bangalore that will lead to substantial energy savings."

Indian households account for 40% of direct energy use (commercial and non-commercial energy together) and influences 70% of the total energy usage (considering the energy required for goods and services consumed by households).  So, improving awareness and driving action by households has substantial energy saving potential.

Ms. Sharmila Oswal, President of Green Energy Foundation added, “Conserving energy begins at home. Small changes are easier to accomplish than larger ones. Gradual changes are financially easy to implement and provide financial reward in the long run along with the satisfaction of conserving energy to protect the planet and its natural resources. Energy conservation tips are a win-win for everyone involved.”

Ms.Oswal further added “Energy conservation is important from many different perspectives and not just because saving energy means saving our money by lowering our monthly energy bills but also from environmental point of view because we are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels and by reducing our energy needs we are also reducing the global greenhouse gas emissions levels that contribute to climate change and global warming.”

The jury panel comprises Mr Raffael Thomas Chairman of Datamatrix Pvt. Ltd., an eminent energy expert and authorized ESCO by Gov of India ,Mr Gautam Nagar Energy Consultant who has specialized in Energy Simulations Modeling from USA and presently consultant to Shapoorji and Pallonji Mumbai and Vijay Sisodiya Director of Farmland, Bangalore who has specialized in Energy auditing and savings.