Lets begin this feature with an interesting analogy. Do you know that to generate one MW of power involves a capital expenditure of Rs 4–6 crore. Add to this the cost of the fuel that needs to be burnt for it, not to mention the pollution and eco-hazards that go with it. On the other hand, the cost of saving the same amount of power works out to only Rs 22 lakh.

Power generation projects like Narmada and Dabhol have their own long and sad tales to tell. Conceived over a decade ago, nothing has been brought forth till date. If anything, only capital expenditure and electricity bills of consumers have been mounting.

Here then is the case of CFL And Electronic Ballast in Electric Lighting

A 11-Watt Compact fluorescent lamp provides illumination equivalent to a 60 watt General Supply Light (GSL). “The immediate refrain of many could be that these CFLs don’t last half as long as the GSL. This is primarily because Indian consumers have this habit of going for the least expensive thing available in the market. Inexpensive often times translates as cheap," says Parag Shah of Shah enterprises, a Consultant and Distributor of energy saving devices and solutions..

A low-loss ballast for use in conventional tubelights may indeed cost more, but the value it provides in terms of savings in wattage will far outdo the higher price paid on its purchase. Upto 40 per cent of power can be saved on power consumption depending on the choice and combination of electronic ballast used in a conventional tube light.

“With the opening up of the Indian market, we want to give our clients the best - in terms of aesthetics, long-term costs and quality,” says Shah.

Shah says that lighting design, lamp source, ballast and luminaire are the four major factors to be taken into consideration while drawing up the lighting of any interior. The required brightness level of light is to be considered while choosing fixtures. However, advisors in the field of lighting lack formal education, which in turn leads to underutilisation and wrong usage of products for specific purposes.

The light distribution curve is of significance while deciding the type of CFL to be used. For example, Spiral CFLs are most suited to top-down lighting as light flows downward in spirals, while the straight CFL models are to be mounted horizontally for maximum benefit.

Harmonics is another important factor totally neglected in the Indian context. There have been instances of the remote control of an air conditioner not functioning when the tube light was `on' in the room, because the latter had an electronic ballast of poor quality which was interfering with the functioning of the AC remote control. Going in for local and unbranded devices may actually harm other equipment instead of saving electricity consumption, Shah warns. “At Shah Enterprises, we take care of the complete process of designing the lighting for the interiors, up to the purchase and installation of lighting fixtures and equipment. But Indians don’t care to go to the right professionals for the right services,” he says.

For most of us, colour lamps are for ornamental purposes alone, but Shah disagrees. “Different applications need different colours. Lighting is a beautiful language. It is capable of enhancing or diminishing the visual appeal of any object. It creates the ambience of a place and is known to be capable of even increasing productivity in the workplace.”

Also it makes eminent business sense to install CFLs where false ceiling has been installed. A minimum cutting down of the false ceiling that has been installed will not only enhance the aesthetic value but also provide whiter light combined with more efficient energy utilisation.

"As part of our marketing efforts, we hold electricians’ meet periodically. The purpose is to educate them on the latest in lighting and fixtures market in India. We provide them incentives for promoting quality brands though this may result in five per cent extra cost for us. In order to avoid his buying a poor quality product and get a commission from the shop keeper, we have devised this method, thereby promoting good quality product and in the long run, preventing inferior quality from reaching the market," he says.

"We have planned a scheme, wherein apartment owners can pay us in five monthly instalments the cost for compact flouroscent lamps which we install on day one. Consultation, installation and delivery are all free of cost. The only condition is that we take away their existing lights. These tube lights we plan to fit with energy efficient electronic ballast and give it away in charity."

My aim is save enough electric energy so as to light up the village of Palani I once visited in Tamil Nadu. I found potable water very scarce and it was attributed to lack of electric power to run motors. That was when I developed this passion for energy conservation though I have concentrated on lighting devices,” says Shah.