[Public Voices] "Electricity Saving," the Primary Energy You Create Yourself

Electricity is an essential energy source for maintaining basic daily life and industrial activities, and it must be available reliably whenever needed. To ensure a stable power supply, it is important to analyze electricity consumption, predict future power demand, and secure sufficient supply capacity through the construction of power plants and reinforcement of transmission and distribution networks accordingly. So, what is the standard for sufficient supply capacity? It refers to the facility capacity that can adequately supply the highest electricity usage throughout the year, that is, the peak demand.

The increase in power demand due to the spread of electric vehicles, electrification, and the expansion of data centers inevitably requires consideration of additional power plant construction and also leads to increased transmission and distribution costs. One of the easiest ways to overcome this is electricity saving. By systematically reducing power demand, the required generation volume decreases, ultimately allowing the introduction of new power plants to be delayed as much as possible. This has the same effect as establishing a virtual power plant using carbon-free and clean energy sources as fuel.

Despite the rise in international energy prices, electricity rates, which have been frozen for a long time as a policy measure to stabilize prices, can no longer bear the burden of being sold below cost and have entered an adjustment phase. Additionally, winter is a period when electricity consumption increases due to the use of heating devices, raising concerns about the burden of electricity bills. Electricity saving is the most direct way to reduce costs, and now, "mature electricity consumption characterized by low consumption and high efficiency" has become not a choice but a necessity.

To reduce electricity consumption, it is important to accurately understand the current rate system and power consumption patterns and to make continuous improvement efforts. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) offers the "Power Planner" service to help customers use electricity efficiently. This is a smartphone application and web-based service provided to customers with intelligent electricity meters (AMI) capable of remote reading. By simply searching for Power Planner online and registering as a member, customers can set monthly usage and peak demand targets themselves and receive alerts when these targets are exceeded through real-time monitoring along with real-time power information.

Residential customers can also receive advance notifications if their expected monthly usage is likely to exceed the progressive rate brackets, making bill management easier. Industrial and general customers with high electricity usage can receive electricity bill consulting reports that analyze power usage patterns and rates, including improvement plans and expected savings. Among industrial and general customers who are subject to time-of-use (TOU) rates, KEPCO’s rate experts provide on-site visits for consulting to offer optimal electricity bill management solutions. If AMI has not yet been installed and Power Planner use is difficult, customers can apply to KEPCO to have AMI installed as a priority.

Choosing high-efficiency equipment when purchasing electrical devices is effective because it provides continuous electricity savings from the initial decision. Although it may involve slightly higher upfront costs in some cases, it is wise to check the consumption efficiency and consider the amount of electricity and costs that can be saved over the long term before making a decision. The amount of electricity saved through high-efficiency devices can also be confirmed via Power Planner.

It is a cold winter with biting winds. How about reducing unnecessary electricity consumption and operating your own carbon-free and clean energy power plant by using high-efficiency devices? Through electricity saving, which reduces electricity bills and stabilizes the power industry, let’s spend a warmer and less burdensome year-end.

Kim Dam, Professor at Chungnam National University

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.