Efficient energy effort

Rusi N. Engineer, president of Urjavaran Foundation, received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award on August 24, 2008 at a function in New Delhi. The award was presented by Lt Gen (Retd) M. M. Lakhera at a symposium on "Rajiv’s role in promoting national integration,” as per an e-mail sent to Parsiana by Zubin Sachinwala, event manager of the Foundation.

Urjavaran Foundation, a voluntary non-profit, non-governmental organization, has always played a key role in promoting the efficient use of energy, its conservation and preservation of the environment. The Foundation is a pioneering body in the country, organizing energy and environment related activities, including exhibitions, seminars, training programs and workshops, mentions the e-mail. It publishes a bimonthly techno-business magazine, Urjavaran, to spread the Foundation’s philosophy.

Rusi Engineer (right) receiving award

Throughout his life, as notes the report, Engineer has striven to promote and deliver the message that energy conservation has to be a way of life, an attitude and a commitment to be followed by all to build a healthy eco-friendly nation. With the fundamental objectives of the Foundation in mind, Urjavaran has gone a step further and launched a number of awards to provide a thrust to the efforts of the Central and the State Governments, by conferring special recognition to the manufacturers of star rated products who have contributed by manufacturing and marketing energy efficient appliances as per norms laid down by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, Government of India, reveals the write-up.

An ambitious beginning was made this year with the introduction of awards in the refrigerator industry which were presented by Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for power, in New Delhi on July 23, 2008. Sachinwala’s write-up mentions that four awards were given in three categories, with Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited receiving the award for Market Impact. Winner in the Savings Impact category was LG Electronics India Private Limited, while both Godrej and LG tied in the Model Impact Recognition category, the former for its direct cool and the latter for its frost free refrigerators. The use of star rated refrigerators has possibly resulted in savings equivalent of about 560 million units, which would be generated from a 100 megawatt power plant working for 5,500 hours.