By Muhammad Soban ISLAMABAD, Feb 3 (INP-WealthPK) The demand for electricity in Pakistan is increasing annually. Among all sectors, the household has a top share – 49 percent – of the total electricity consumption. The Government of Pakistan has been focusing on increasing the power generation capacity to meet the growing demand instead of taking alternative measures like the energy-efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly electric home appliances. Pakistan has been confronting electricity crisis for the last three decades, which has adversely affected its economy. Owing to the energy crisis, many industries have over the years relocated to other countries hitting the economy hard. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2020-21, Pakistan has a total installed capacity of 37,261MW. Pakistan generates 60 percent of electricity from fossil fuels, which is one of the expensive sources of energy having both economic as well as environmental effects. Economically, its cost is high, and the consumer has to use energy inefficient home appliances and pay inflated power bills. In this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the use of inefficient electric appliances for households is not feasible and there is need to find new ways for their efficient use. To use electricity efficiently, the Ministry of Energy under the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) launched the county’s first ever National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Policy of 2020, with the strategic plan 2020-23 to save energy worth 3 Million Tons of Oil Equivalents (MTOE) by 2023. Talking to WealthPK, Technical Manager of the NEECA Asad Mahmood said the core objective of the strategy was to produce energy-effective home appliances that could benefit the economy. Asad Mahmood said the NEECA together with the Ministry of Science and Technology was working on producing energy-efficient appliances. At present, only work on fan efficiency has been completed, while work on other home appliances is under process. Home appliances including fans, LED lights, air conditioner, refrigerator, motor, and other electronics have to be made energy-efficient. Initially, standards have been set for production of energy-efficient fans in Pakistan. There are around 8 million fans produced every year in Pakistan. According to the announcement made by the Ministry for Science and Technology (MoST), due to the low-grade material used in these fans, they are energy inefficient [consuming more electric power]. Pakistan can save 3,400MW electricity by using energy-efficient electric fans. According to the MoST, from June 2022, only energy-efficient fans approved by the NEECA and carrying its label will sell in the market. Pakistan has prodigious potential and can save energy by adopting energy-efficient appliances. But there is a lot more to do in this regard. Firstly, the Government of Pakistan needs to start an awareness campaign to teach people that they can save their hard-earned money by using energy-efficient appliances. Secondly, before making it mandatory to produce energy-efficient products, there is a need to train all appliances-producing units so they can make energy-efficient appliances in accordance the standard operating procedures (SOPs).