The Haryana Government has launched the first of its kind ‘Demand Side Management-AC Scheme’ in the State for the domestic consumers of urban and rural areas to promote energy savings.

“Under this scheme, 1.05 lakh ACs will be made available at a discount of up to 59 per cent of the minimum retail price (MRP) to the people of the State. Those interested will have to apply by August 24, 2021,” Power Minister Ranjit Singh said.

He said the Power Department has tied up with three well-known companies including Deccan, Blue Star and Voltas, which will provide electricity cost saving split ACs of 1.5 ton capacity at low cost on demand of the people. Under this, domestic consumers can buy an AC in exchange for their old one. While on one hand these companies will provide discounts on buying new and replacing old ones, on the other hand Haryana Government will also provide subsidies on the ACs.

To take advantage of this scheme, interested persons can apply by visiting the electricity department’s web portal https://acreplacementscheme.uhbvn.org.in.

Singh said the State Government has made a provision to give more subsidy to the consumers of rural areas than the consumers of urban areas under this scheme. Under this, a subsidy of Rs 2,000 will be given on buying a new AC in urban areas and Rs 4,000 on replacement of the old AC. Similarly, in rural areas, a subsidy of Rs 4,000 will be given for buying a new AC and Rs 8,000 on replacement of old AC.

Apart from this, the consumers will also get savings in electricity bills because of the power saving capacity of the new ACs. By installing these energy saving new ACs, 657 power units will be saved in comparison to the old 3 star ACs and there will be annual savings of up to Rs 5,000. Along with this, the compressor will get a warranty of up to 10 years and all other equipment up to one year, the Power Minister said.

Under this scheme, the entire responsibility of fitting free ACs in the homes of the consumer will be of the authorised dealer, he added. Elaborating about the scheme, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, PK Das said this AC scheme has been started by the power distribution corporations to reduce the domestic energy consumption and maximum load, which is the first of its kind in the country.

Earlier in 2016, under a scheme, the Power Department had installed 1.56 crore LED bulbs and 2.30 lakh tubes in the state. The State has also saved 232.42 MW of electricity, which in itself is an indicator of historical change, Das added.

It was informed that AT&C losses of Haryana Power Corporations have come down from 29.83 per cent to 14.55 per cent in the last five years.