New Delhi: Power distribution company BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) has sought approval from the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to launch a large-scale behavioural energy efficiency programme aimed at saving 1–2 percent of household electricity consumption through customised home energy reports (HERs), officials said on Wednesday.
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The discom supplies electricity to most parts of the national capital except the Yamuna areas and North Delhi.
An 18-month pilot project conducted in 2018 covering two lakh consumers in South and West Delhi areas by BRPL showed encouraging outcomes, officials said.
The pilot was implemented using Oracle Utilities’ Opower customer engagement software to generate personalised HERs. “The software studied individual lifestyle and energy consumption habits to generate customised HERs, providing users with insights and comparisons drawn from similar households in the region. These reports recommended actionable steps for consumers to become more energy efficient,” officials added.
According to officials, personalised HERs help households track usage, compare with peers, and cut waste. “The aim of the BEE programme relies on HERs to deliver personalised feedback based on electricity use patterns, energy saving tips and social comparisons to households and help them understand their energy consumption and adopt more energy efficient usage habits,” said a discom official.
The reports combine data analytics and behavioural science “to not only understand their power usage better, but also encourage them to take informed steps to reduce unnecessary consumption,” the official added.
Globally, such behavioural programmes have been shown to reliably achieve 1–3 percent household energy savings. “These reports provide measurable savings of electricity by inducing behavioural changes and are known to have helped power utilities across the globe to reliably achieve 1–3 percent household energy savings,” another official said.
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After regulatory approval, BRPL’s behavioural energy efficiency programme will make it the first discom in the country to implement such an initiative at scale, a company official said. “The programme is expected to unlock significant energy savings, improve grid management, and enhance the discom-consumer relationship, all through simple, low-cost behavioural nudges,” he added.