Power saving system in Armenian village 'saves money' for community budget

The following is a press release by Viva-MTS: 

It is already several months the energy saving system is introduced in Shnogh, a village in Lori region. Before that, part of the village was lit with expensive, non-durable lights of poor quality. To reduce unjustified expenses and have a full-scale lighting system in the settlement, Viva-MTS and The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets came to help install a LED lighting system operating on new technologies, which have already brought the desired effect; the settlement has already recorded savings of budgetary means.

“Before the system was introduced, we made some calculation. A monthly fee for street lights was around AMD 80-85 thousand. But this was not the only expense, as previous lights had a low quality and we often used to fix them; add all that costs and the monthly expenses will be even higher. Now all that is left behind. It’s evident for us that the new system is efficient. The maximum fee we had during these months was AMD 51 thousand. So we save around AMD 30-35 thousand per month,” said the head of Shnogh administration, Davit Ghumashyan.

According to the initial plan a 1.4 km long section of road had to be illuminated in Shnogh. Due to the willingness of the community to invest, the 1.7 km-long central street is now fully illuminated. 47 energy-saving LED lights have been installed. The new system has already been launched, despite the official opening ceremony was replaced with a video call.

“The efficiency of this energy-saving system is a long-term benefit. That’s one of its major advantages. We have had a positive feedback from the rural communities where the program had been implemented. You, too, will feel the benefits of the new technologies as they help you save means if the communities manage to steer the saved means to solving other problems there will gradual positive change in all spheres of life. That’s an essential part of the model of flexible and efficient management,” Viva-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian said during the video call.

“Due to the situation, we changed the format of the opening event, but the goal of creating and developing a network of eco-villages remained the same. This community contributed about 30% to the project, which enabled to embrace a bigger area in the project. This is a significant achievement,” said Ruben Khachatryan, Founder of the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets.

LED lights are the first in terms of savings, environmental impact and quality of illumination. Distant regions of Armenia remain in the focus of partner organizations. In many settlements, work is coordinated over the years to address existing issues.

About Viva-MTS

Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people interest at heart since its launch on 1st July 2005 and in a short period of time Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market.  The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System). For more information visit www.mts.am

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Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world's fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 86.8 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. Since July Y2000, MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com

About “Eco villages network” project

Eco villages network includes selected intentional or traditional communities throughout Armenia, that are consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes to regenerate their social, cultural, economic and natural environments.

The core idea behind the whole concept of the ecovillages is integrating the four dimensions of sustainability – ecological, economic, cultural and social – through integral, participatory design.

The project is a new format of the long-term cooperation between the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), VivaCell-MTS and the Global Ecovillages Network (GEN) in the field of environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources.

About FPWC

The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) was founded in Y2002. FPWC is a member organization of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since Y2012.

FPWC’s mission is to publicize the unique natural heritage of Armenia and the importance of biodiversity conservation, environmental issues and the importance of preserving nature. We aim to reduce human and wildlife conflict and its consequences to reduce the risks of endangered species of flora and fauna.

Biodiversity conservation, environmental education, community development and public awareness are the main directions of our activities.

 More information is available at www.mtsgsm.com