Coimbatore textile mills have taken steps toward energy conservation. Be it spinning mills or humidification plants, machinery comes with energy saving upgrades. Foundries and engineering units have started looking at ways to improve power supply, bring down energy bill, and save on power consumed.

Mills have a scope for seven to 11 percent energy saving in a year if they take the right steps. Since energy conservation requires investment, it’s necessary for mills to prioritise areas that need to be addressed. In the case of power looms, one option for bringing down the power consumed is by going in for solar panels. However, the investments are high and hence the units have sought subsidy from the central and state governments.

Micro units do job work for larger industries but their earnings are less. So they are unable to invest in energy saving tools. They focus more on day to day operations and not many have the resources to take up energy conservation. This is an area that needs attention.

Foundries and pump set units are reluctant to invest in energy conservation because of current market conditions. Making energy efficient pumpsets mandatory will bring more manufacturers into this sector.