In a bid to conserve energy, the Odisha government is mulling to replace all the fans and air conditioners that are over 5 years old in government offices. In this regard, a proposal has been sent for consideration to the government by the Energy department.
As per the proposal, fans and air conditioners that are more than five years old would be replaced with Brush-Less Direct Current (BLDC) fans and 5-star rated ACs in all government buildings.
There should be mandatory use of BLDC fans and 5-star rated ACs in all newly constructed government buildings, the proposal stated. The department also asked the government to conduct annual energy audits to save electricity in the office buildings.
Brush-Less Direct Current (BLDC) fans are new and powerful fans that use special motors called brushless motors. These motors use electronics to spin, so they use less electricity and last longer than normal fans. Since they have fewer parts that move, they need less fixing.
However, the proposal was not immune to criticism as well with the Opposition raising questions on the government’s sudden realisation to conserve energy given that Odisha has been touted as an energy surplus State.
The Opposition even questioned how much the government can save by replacing the fans and ACs which are just five years old and alleged that the move is aimed to pocket some kickbacks from suppliers and vendors.
“Exactly like the school transformation under the 5T initiative where they only paint the walls and doors and do not bother to change the quality of teaching, this new energy-saving proposal too is aimed to swindle money,” alleged BJP’s Mohan Majhi.
Similarly, senior Congress leader, Panchanan Kanungo said, “This is a ploy to get some kickbacks from the dealers of the fans and ACs. Whoever will be entrusted with purchasing the appliances, will get a lot of money as kickback from the dealers.”
However, Odisha Energy Minister claimed that this is not the only step being taken to conserve electricity. In fact, the government is taking many more steps as well.
“Our aim is to make more and more people use solar energy and other low power consuming appliances in cities,” said Odisha Energy Minister Pratap Deb.
It is pertinent to mention here that the State government in 2022 had decided to encourage solar energy by announcing subsidy to the consumers. However, many believe that it has remained an announcement so far.