Keep AC at 25°C; close malls by 8pm to ensure uninterrupted power: Power Division
The Power Division also asked shops, shopping malls, petrol pumps and CNG stations to avoid using extra lights with a view towards lowering electricity costs.
The Power Division has directed all commercial establishments, including shopping malls, to be shut by 8:00pm and asked that AC temperatures be kept at 25°C or above to ensure uninterrupted power during the ongoing heatwave.
In a circular today (29 April), it also demanded that easybikes and motorised rickshaws not be charged illegally, among a number of other measures.
According to the circular, despite the unprecedented achievements in the power sector in the last 15 years, the demand for electricity has increased at an "abnormal rate" due to the ongoing crisis.
The Power Division also asked shops, shopping malls, petrol pumps and CNG stations to avoid using extra lights with a view towards lowering electricity costs.
It urged all to be energy-efficient.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the only state agency for transmission of electricity from power stations to the national grid, today said the electricity demand across the country was 16,200MW at 2pm.
However, electricity generation stood at 12,753MW, resulting in a deficit of 3,447MW.
Meanwhile, the government power distribution companies said there was over 2,000MW of load shedding in the past few days to manage the demand-supply gap.
According to sources from Rural Electrification Board (REB), who are supplying electricity to more than 80% of the country's rural areas, load shedding surpassed 2,800MW at 3pm yesterday as only 6,500MW could be supplied against the demand of 9,312MW.