Lights, Solar, Action: How a Mira Road society slashed electricity bill by 65% - from Rs 52,000 monthly to Rs 18,000

At Nav Yuwan Housing Society in Mira Road (East), the monthly electricity bill once stood as a dreaded line item. Residents of this 30-year-old complex were used to shelling out nearly Rs 52,000 every month for common area power consumption. Today, that figure has shrunk dramatically to just Rs 18,000. The transformation began in October last year, when the society partnered with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) to implement a pilot green retrofit programme. The changes were widespread and carefully thought out. A total of 150 motion-sensor lights were installed in corridors, lobbies and staircases, ensuring that energy was used only when needed. Fourteen high-efficiency floodlights now illuminate the parking area, consuming far less power than their predecessors. AKAH paired the technical interventions with capacity-building programmes, helping residents understand the value of energy-efficient appliances and simple behavioural shifts.