The shortage of electric power in the State, long known to the districts, finally reached the capital city sometime last year when power cuts of one hour were imposed. With the deepening of the crisis, this has now been extended by another hour. But that is nothing compared to what has been happening in the mofussil where power cuts of more than 10 hours a day are the norm. There is no immediate relief in sight, for power is not something that can be conjured up in a matter of days. But this may be the best time to introduce efficiency in the power sector, in generation, transmission and in usage. It is also the best time to focus on energy efficient structures.

The present shortage is estimated to be of the order of 4000 MW, a staggering figure indeed. The major brunt of this deficit will, of course, be borne by industry which will take recourse to private generation of power through diesel gensets and other devices, all of which will push up costs and, ultimately, reflect on prices. Domestic and office consumption is, of course, a smaller percentage of what is utilised overall, but that does not mean it can be ignored. In a situation where every unit of electricity counts, there are several ways in which buildings, both domestic and commercial, can contribute.

Unfortunately, our real estate developers, architects and builders do not appear to have woken up to all this. Thus, while Chennai can boast of having the maximum number of ‘green’ buildings in the country, that is not saying much, for each day we are adding several energy guzzlers to our skyline. Most office buildings continue to be built with huge sheets of glass all of which increase the temperature inside, necessitating continuous airconditioning. As for lighting, you would think that Chennai could get plentiful sunlight. But most offices are constructed in such a way as to depend almost entirely on electric lighting, and when the power cut happens, these buildings, in the absence of generators, become black holes where work is well nigh impossible.

The scenario in domestic buildings is far worse. From a time when the average Chennai residence was airy and well illuminated by natural light, we are going increasingly for boxed-in structures. The number of flats in residential complexes is increasing by the day and it is a wonder that so many people can be packed into such tiny spaces.

Cramped accommodation naturally means over-dependence on artificial means for lighting and cooling. There is also an increasing tendency to give the go by to norms for standard setbacks from the road and neighbouring properties, thereby cutting down the space for air circulation and light. These norms are, of course, not implemented strictly by those in charge of these regulations. This too adds to the necessity for increased usage of power. There was a time when most Chennai-tes got by without using airconditioners. But now the situation has completely changed. Where is the power going to come from for such luxuries?

Another problem that is rarely addressed is illegal tapping of power. A newspaper report has it that as many as 135 buildings in a street in North Chennai were drawing power illegally from the mains. If that is the occurrence in just one street, what would be the volume of illegal drawal in the city as a whole?

How is it that such wholesale violations are overlooked at a time when genuine customers who are paying higher tariffs are denied what is their due? Can the TNEB not clamp down on such violators?

These are but small steps and may not make a huge difference in the power scenario. But practising self-discipline has never hurt anyone and it is time that Chennai (and the State) shows that it can tighten its belt when needed.