National Energy Conservation Day is annually celebrated across India on December 14 to raise awareness on limiting energy loss and showcase the achievements of India in energy efficiency and conservation.
- The National Energy Conservation Day is organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) which operates under the Ministry of Power (MoP).
Background:
i. BEE launched the National Energy Conservation Awards in 1991 to recognise the contribution of industries and establishments in reducing energy consumption while maintaining their production through awards.
ii.The first time the awards were given away was on December 14, 1991. Since then, the day has been declared as National Energy Conservation Day
iii. The 1st National Energy Conservation Day was observed on 14th December 1991.
Note: The BEE executed the Energy Conservation Act in India in 2001.
Energy Conservation:
i. Energy conservation is the practice of consuming less energy by eliminating unnecessary uses of energy.
ii. It has huge potential to improve economic growth while lowering greenhouse gas emissions globally.
iii. India began implementing energy conservation measures more than two decades ago and has since built a defined policy architecture for supporting energy conservation.
National Energy Conservation Week 2022
The MoP celebrates National Energy Conservation Week 2022 from 14th to 20th December.
- The week is celebrated by the Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM).
2022 Event:
Droupadi Murmu, President of India, the Chief Guest of the event presented the 32nd National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA), 2nd National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) and National Painting Competition prizes in New Delhi, Delhi, on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day (14th December 2022).
- The President also launched the ‘EV-Yatra Portal’ on the occasion.
- The Mobile application titled “EV Yatra” has been designed and developed to facilitate in-vehicle navigation to the nearest public EV charger. It was developed by the BEE.
Dignitaries:
i. R. K. Singh, Union Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy addressed the occasion.
ii. Krishan Pal, Minister of State for Power & Heavy Industries and Shri Alok Kumar, Secretary, MoP was also present.
- National Energy Conservation Award (NECA) 2022:
i. The BEE recognises and supports industrial units, institutions, and establishments’ efforts to reduce energy usage by bestowing Energy Conservation Awards on them.
ii. The total number of applications received for NECA 2022 is 448.
- Award Categories: Industries, Transport, Buildings, Institutions, Appliances.
iii. The total number of awards for NECA 2022:
- 1st Prize- 19
- 2nd Prize- 8
- Certificate of Merit (COM)- 21
Indian Railways receives 9 National Energy Conservation Awards 2022:
Indian Railways received 9 National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) for 2022, which were conferred by the President of India on the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day.
These awards were presented at a function held by the BEE at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
The awards were declared for the best energy management practices during the year 2022.
Transport Category / Railway Stations category:
South Central Railways received the 1st and 2nd prizes for Energy Conservation Measures.
1st Prize– Kacheguda Station.
2nd Prize– Guntakal Railway station.
COM– Kanpur Central Railway Station (North Central Railways (NCR)), Rajahmundry Railway Station (South Central Railway (SCR)), and Tenali Railway station (SCR).
Buildings Category / Buildings Category:
1st Prize– Ajmer Workshop of North Western Railway.
COM– Railway Hospital Guntakal (SCR), Electric Traction Training Centre, Vijayawada (SCR) and Divisional Railway Hospital, Pratapnagar (Western Railways).
- National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) 2022:
i. The NEEIA award was established in 2021 to recognise excellent work and inventive brains in the field of energy efficiency in India.
ii. NEEIA 2022 Categories:
- Category A: Professionals from the Industries, Building, and Transport sector
- Category B: Students and Research Scholars.
iii. The total number of applications received for NEEIA 2022 is 177.
iv. The total number of awards for NEEIA 2022:
- 1st Prize- 2
- 2nd Prize- 2
- Certificate of Recognition (COR)- 2
- National Painting Competition 2022:
i. The MoP has organised the National Painting Competition on Energy Conservation since 2005.
ii. The 3 stages of Competition: School, State and National Level
About the Ministry of Power (MoP):
Union Minister- Raj Kumar Singh (Arrah, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS)- Krishan Pal (Faridabad, Haryana)
About the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE):
Under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act of 2001, the Government of India established the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on March 1, 2002.
Director-General- Abhay Bakre
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi.
