Promoting energy-efficient appliances

People may be reluctant to invest in electrical appliances because of their high up-front cost and the increase to monthly electricity bills. Hence they may find themselves confined to the lower rungs of the "energy ladder", only using electricity for simple lighting and phone charging.

Tara Urja helps its customers to avail a wider range of benefits from electricity by promoting 'energy-efficient appliances', including fans, TVs, and fridges. These use less electricity than their conventional counterparts, making bills more manageable. Furthermore, Tara has negotiated discount prices from dealers, and created payment plans which enable credit-constrained households and shops to pay for appliances over an extended period of time. So far, 30% of Tara's customers have participated in the appliance schemes.

These schemes also feed into broader sustainable energy policy, as efficient use of renewable energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces the rate at which domestic resources are depleted, reduces the need to import energy from abroad, and reduces capital and recurring costs to improve the viability of both utility and mini-grid developers.