How to get your Driving Licence Renewed - Bangalore - Yelahanka

Note: This post was last updated on 25 March 2021. The process is continuously changing. So if you find some changes, you can put in a comment, and I will try to update.

The rules/requirements for Getting the driving license renewed is the same across the country and are listed in https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan//en/content/renewal. You will have to fill the form online, take an appointment, take all the print outs and submit the original license along with a self-addressed stamped envelope.

A few things to keep in mind: 

1. Location: Google still seems to show the location of the RTO in Yelahanka Newtown. The RTO is now in Singanayakanahalli. This is about 9 KMs from the previous RTO office. You will have to stay on the main road for about 12 KMs from PH and look for directions for RTO Singanayakanahalli. It is about 3 KMs inside. This is the address: RTO,YELAHANKA, SURVEY NO:111 SINGANAYAKANA HALLI YELAHANKA HOBLI BANGALORE NORTH Phone: 080-29729909
2. When you go through the online site and fill in the online application form, the site seems to indicate the print out of Form-2 is not required. However, I found that the officer at the desk insists on the same. You will need to download it and take a print out to not run for the print out again.
   
3. You will be asked to get the Photo and Signature done at the centre. This will cost you Rs. 58/-. Take some change. Will make it faster.
   
4. If you are 45 years of age and above, you will need to get the Form-No-1A done. This is a Doctor's certificate indicating that you are fit for the license. You can get this done at any PHC (Primary Health Care centre) around. There is one on 4th Cross Hegde Nagar. The fees for this could be Rs. 100/-. Just ensure that you get the Doctor's Name, Regn No. and Phone Number as you are asked to fill the contact number in the site when you try to upload the document.
5. Take a brown paper (Suggested: about 17 inches by 14 inches - folded into half on the 17 inches side) to make a folder-sort of thing. Not sure why they still fancy this - possibly helps them keep all the things in place. This is available in Multimart for about Rs. 6 and makes for two folders.
   
6. Take a cloth envelope. Write your Address (self-addressed) and affix Rs. 20/- stamps on it (This is sufficient for 560064 pincode. For other pincodes, could be about Rs.42). This is for speedpost for sending the Card License to you. A small one will do. (anything over 7inches by 3 inches)
7. Take a cover made of transparent plastic paper. You can make one or get them as small ziploc covers in most shops. Something about 3 inches by 3 inches should do. This is to hold the old license. You will need to submit it at the office. 
8. You will need a tag to tie all of them together. 

One the Photo and signature are taken, the person at the Driving License desk will validate the papers and send you to the inward desk. The person at the inward desk will give you an acknowledgement of the same. You can use this in lieu of the DL till your DL arrives to your home.

A quick checklist: 

1. Appointment Letter print out from site
   
2. Form 2 - Prefilled from site
   
3. Acknowledgement form from site.
4. Form 1-A - printed from site and filled by Govt. Doctor. The site now seems to say - any MBBS doctor can sign.
5. Old or expiring driving license
6. Self Addressed postage stamps affixed cloth envelope. (Rs 20 for PH pincode - 560064)
   
7. Brown Paper to form a folder sort of thing 
8. A tag (used to tie the papers together)
   

Services available within PH

 A list of services available within PH 

(Some from Association and Some from its Residents)

(Last updated: 04 April 2021)

The following services are available to all residents in PH (included in Maintenance):

1. Daily Garbage Pickup at the door
2. Cleaning of the common floor area in front of the door.
   
3. Repair of plumbing provided by PH (cost of consumables will have to borne by the Resident)
4. Repair of electrical items provided by PH (cost of replacement item will have to be borne by the Resident)
5. Access to MyGate and Adda
6. Stickers for Vehicles (for unrestricted entry and exit from the Campus) - You can reach out to help desk at Association office
   

The following are available at a cost from Service Providers approved by PH Association:

1. Replacement / Repair of self-owned equipment - Some of the Staff may assist with repair of Geysers / Taps / Electrical switches / minor civil works which are owned by self - on a mutually agreed cost, when they are free from other work. 
   
2. Car Cleaning (There is an indicative rate list for different classes of cars)
3. House-hold work: Maids and Cooks approved by the Association after verifying their Identity cards are available on MyGate
4. Printer / Photo-copying: You can get a print out / Photocopy done from the Association office. Cost: Re.1 per page, limited to 5 pages. Payment to be done via googlepay/phonepay.
5. Groceries are available in the Gullymart. 
6. Real Estate Services: The Association recently started a Real-Estate service. Additional details can be got from writing to the association.
   

The following services are available from some of the Residents of PH: 

1. Food and Catering: Some residents provide food for other residents. There was a whatsapp group for the offerings. However, not sure of the continuity of the same after the lockdown started. One of the residents owns a Food joint on the Thanisandra Main Road.
   
2. Tutions: Some of our residents provide home tutions for various skills. They include School Curriculum, Language courses (Kannada, Hindi, .., not sure of international language course now), Music, Art and Craft. 
   
3. Advertisement / Brand Management: One of the Residents of the apartment has an Advertisement / Brand Management firm.
4. Medical Services: There are a few Doctors (Allopathy and Homoeo) on the campus. Most of them consult in Hospitals outside of the campus. I am not sure if they consult in the Campus. A message on one of the groups will get you appropriate responses.
   
5. Dental Services: Some of the residents own Dental Clinics in the vicinity. Not sure of their consulting status within the campus.
6. 
   

The following services are available from outside vendors: 

1. Medicines: A few of the nearby medical stores provide delivery services to our apartment.
2. Groceries: Some Grocery stores provide free home delivery of goods to our apartment. You can either order on phone or whatsapp.
   
3. Milk Delivery: A few shops around home deliver milk to residents. 
4. Newspaper Delivery: Available from a few vendors.
5. Telecom and Internet Service Providers: BSNL, ACT, Airtel services are available. Not sure about Tata Sky.
6. DTH Service Providers: Airtel and Tatasky are available.
   
7. Getting a bird net in the balcony area.
8. Water Filter Service (typically from the OEM-appointed vendor) 
9. Cloth Pressing - IronMan - Istri :) 
10. White-washing /Wall painting. The same persons also provide services like getting one or two nails into the wall. If you are a tenant, just let your owner know of the same - as - in some cases I have heard - it starts with trying to get a hole in the wall and the nail in and ends with the chunk of plaster coming off.
    

 

 I have covered a few above. If you know if any others, please add them to the comments section and I will add them to the list. Similarly, if you want your number to be listed in the blog, please let me know through the comments - I will update the blog.

Disclaimer: Some of the services may be withdrawn based on Government regulations. Adda or MyGate or Telegram groups could have updates on the same

Related Articles: 

1. Overview of PH and its facilities
   
2. What are the Electrical Amenities connected to our DG Set?
3. More information about our DG Set
4. DG Set Vs. Your own UPS - what is better? IMHO
5. Electrical Outlets in your flat
6. DG Extension - Stated goal vs Needs
   

Overview of PH and its facilities

(Last updated on 06 April 2021)

Some Information about PH

I am collating some information about PH in this blog. If you have additional information or know something that needs correction, please put that in the comments box.

 Flats and Types

Number of Flats: 548

We have three types of flats: 

1. 3 BHKs with 1241 sqft
2. 3 BHKs with 1262 sqft
3. 1 BHKs with 662 sqft (all of block A8 - 9 x 6 = 54 flats)
   

 We have 15 Blocks - A1 to A15

Most buildings have 9 floors (except for A1, A2, A3, which have 8 floors). (Needs confirmation)

Facilities

Water: We have 24 hours water (except when some tanks are emptied for cleaning). If water is empty in your tank, please call up the helpline number and they should help with filling it up.

Electricity: Electricity is provided by BESCOM. All common amenities have a DG Backup. All flats have two electricity points provided with DG-backup - one light in the living room and one fan in the master bedroom.

Clubhouse: We have a clubhouse with the following facilities:

1. A Party hall
2. A Pool table
3. A Gym
4. A Table Tennis Room
5. A Swimming Pool

As of this writing, you will need a code from MyGate to access the clubhouse facilities. Party hall can be booked by sending a email to the Association or help desk and some payment. 

There is a "GullyMart" run by one of the owners. This is just beside the Clubhouse.

Amphitheater and Play Areas: We have an amphitheater with a stage and a gallery. Adjacent to it is a badminton court and a basketball play area. In addition, we have a kids play area, with a sandy area (sandpit) and some slides and play equipment. There is one more children's area closer to the STP. 

The CA land has been leveled (at some cost) and is being used as a cricket play area.

Green Area: Most of the borders have some greenery in the form of trees (some are just 2 to 3 years old). A few papaya trees can be found. Most of the play areas are bordered by trees. Early morning walkers are greeted by the music of early morning birds. Benches are provided in a few places where you can rest. Some benches are covered by a canopy of green creepers / climbers, which in some cases hide the steel frame underneath.

Note on Garden Water outlets: You will find some water outlets in the garden area. As of March 2021, these have recycled water and is not fit for human consumption. 

Residential Blocks: Each block has around 36 units with a few covered car parks. Each block has a lift and a Staircase. The Staircase doubles as a fire-exit, so ensure that this area is not blocked. Access to terrace is blocked, except for maintenance. The terrace also has solar water heaters (which serve the 8th and 9th floors). So in case you are on the terrace, just ensure that no one is playing with the solar plumbing / pipes / valves. The common area on alternate floors has a fire hose place. Every floor has a telecom duct (which has connections for your Cable TV, Landline Phone and Internet). Suggest to keep it closed.

Flats: Most flats have 3 bedrooms, a hall (including dining space), a balcony, a kitchen and two bath rooms. 1 BHKs have one bathroom. The water from the Cistern (Flush) is recycled. As mentioned above, one light point in the living room and one fan in the master bedroom are provided with DG power. The junction box has a provision to connect a UPS to the entire house (needs some wiring though). 

Flats in the top two floors of each block have hot water provided from the Solar Water Heaters on the terrace.

Car Parks: All flats have a car park allocated. Car parks can either be covered or semi-covered (under the first floor) of a block or open. 

Security: An external security agency provides manpower for security. All resident vehicles have sticker to identify them. A resident can request for these stickers at the Association office (after providing the required documents). Visitor and Vendor vehicles data is entered into MyGate and entry allowed after approval is provided by the Flat Resident.

CCTv cameras are installed in various places on the campus. Monitors are available at the Security Gate and the Association Office.

Housekeeping: An external agency provides Housekeeping services and manages a dedicated helpdesk for PH. They take care of cleaning, collecting garbage, manage electrical and water facilities and gardening. (Need confirmation if gardening is done by a separate person)

PH Brochure (this was advertising material from the office - and pretty old)

STP: (Sewage Treatment plant): We have an STP which processes all the used water and circulates it back to the flush (in the toilets), Fire fighting system and garden hoses.

Further Information: 

Sources of Water: We have 5 borewells for regular water. In addition, there is a rain water harvesting system which helps us harvest a good amount of rain water. In spite of this, in some summer months, we end up buying water tankers to fulfill our water needs.

The water is treated in a WTP and filled in 10 Over-head tanks which is distributed to the 15 blocks and club house.

Electricity: BESCOM power is fed to two Transformer Farms (4 transformers in one and 3 in another) and distributed to the 15 blocks. Common amenities are distributed across different flats. 

STP Electricity is fed from A15.

Related Articles: 

1. Information on common amenities connected to DG-Set
2. Some additional information on the DG Set
3. DG Set vs. home UPS: IMHO
4. Services available in PH
   
5. Electrical Outlets in your 3BHK Flat
6. DG Set extension - Stated Goals vs. Needs 
   

 

DG Sets Vs. your own UPS - for a Society, which is better? IMHO

Where do the DG Sets fit in:

 For maintaining facilities in an apartment complex, some builders plan for a DG (Diesel Generator) set to provide electricity to essentials. Some essentials could be - Lifts in high rise buildings, Water pumps for Kitchen use and flushing, Fire-fighting systems, STPs (Sewage Treatment Plant) and so on. Most of these are high power devices (pumps / motors in the range of 2-10 HP). Lighting at apartment complexes too is not a small matter. Each individual lighting unit could be consuming a (relatively) small amount of power (10-50W). However, you will find that these units are 50-100 in numbers, which take the lighting power requried from 500W to 5,000W.

While common utilities need large power sources from the likes of a DG set, facilities inside the home can be better served by a home UPS. Home UPS come in ranges of 300 VA (for Desktop Computers) to 800 VA for nominal loads to 1200 VA for extended use. These are served by 120 AH or 150 AH batteries. The total cost of the setup (as of March 2021) range between INR 2000 to 4000 for Desktop Computer UPS and between 15,000 to 20,000 for the Home UPS for full home use. Square-wave inverters are about Rs. 1,500/- less than Sine-wave inverters.

If your society is planning to increase the number of output points from the DG Set, then these are points you might consider:

1. Capacity of the DG set vs. expected peak load on the DG set: Most DG Sets are designed to run for long hours at 60-70% of peak loads. This could reduce slightly with age of the DG Set. When looking at peak loads, also consider one-time use equipments like Fire safety pumps.
2. One-time setup costs: Verify the estimates from the Vendors for the following:

•  One-time wiring and additional equipment costs (ACCL, additional switches, wires and their load bearing capacities)
• costs of any other consumables billed to you
• Labour costs
• Warranty in case of equipment failures

3. Estimated cost of Diesel consumption: Most estimates would give a happy figure on the fuel consumption. Look for data on fuel before signing up.
4. Cost of output power on DG: Power from a DG will be costiler than power from the Electricity Board. This is not even taking into account the sunk costs on the DG set. Get realistic figures to be safe.

 

UPS to the rescue

Individual UPS for houses could be a safe bet for the following reasons:

1. Switching time: A UPS switches over instantaneously. Does not have the 30 - 45 seconds lag of a DG set.
2. DG Availability: If BESCOM or your power Distribution Company is working just outside your area, you might have to shut down your DG Set for obvious safely reasons. At this point, your home UPS is your saviour. Same is the situation for DG maintenance or internal equipment maintenance.
   
3. Overload on the system: In case of overload, individual UPS tripping does not impact the entire society.
4. Individual Habits: When power is provided from DG sets to all the points, there are persons who tend to use it for their luxuries rather than use it for essentials. This ensures that the load guzzlers are subsidized by the prudent users.
5. DG Set life: DG Sets tend to run longer on lower loads. As the load increases, the maintenance costs of the DG sets also increase.
6. Impact on DG Set itself: If not properly planned, extension of existing DG set connections leads to failure of DG sets themselves. A DG Set could cost upward of Rs.12 lakhs at current prices with out GST.
7. Future Use: If you end up using Individual Solar power at a later stage, the solar power input will be connected to a battery. In this case, you could reuse your UPS battery to be powered from the Solar panel and used through the UPS. I have seen most Solar installations use a UPS system either way.
   
8. Future Costs: Government regulations keep changing for environmental and business reasons. What is allowed today may not be allowed in the next year. If the Government decides to impose a CESS on use of use of DG sets based on usage, you are forced to pay. If fuel prices go up, you incur the costs. (A good example of this is - In the initial days of Bangalore, you could dig a borewell in your land and enjoy the water - as free as sunlight. In the current Bengaluru, BWSSB charges you for the borewell use)
   

 

 

Overuse and Proper Use

Battery based UPS' too have their pitfalls.

1. If you are not prudent about using your home UPS, the battery dies faster. In case of a power cut, it makes sense to switch off as many unwanted appliances as possible.
2. Lead in most batteries is still an environmental hazard. Safe disposal practices are a must. When changing your battery, you can ask the seller to pick up the old one. They have a buyback price.
3. Ensure that you check the battery for distilled water and refill with distilled water (only) when the level falls below the green points.

Use power and other resources judiciously. You will be happy and at peace.

 

Related Articles:

1. Existing connections to DG Sets in PH 
2. Some More info about our existing DG Set
3. Overview of PH and its Facilities 
4. Services Available within PH
5. Electrical Outlets in your 3BHK Flat
6. DG Set extension - Stated goals vs. Needs 
   

Some More information about our DG Set and its Maintenance

 When the Bescom Power fails...

Our DG set gets into action. It takes between 30 to 45 seconds for it to switch on and our common electrical points to wake up. Compare this to a Home UPS that wakes up as soon as the power fails and some of the equipment might (like our WiFi routers) do not even blink.

Each of our 2 DG sets has a rated capacity of 250 KW - so in total, they have a capacity to give you about 500 KW. However, as per my understanding, the DG sets cannot sustain such a high load for more than a few seconds. What we know is, if they are kept running at 60-70% of the rated power, you could run them for hours together. As the load increases further, they are susceptible to failures faster.

In case of most failures, our DG sets run at 30-40% loads during most power-cuts. 

Unlike an UPS, you cannot leave them unattended. There is a person from the electrical section who is monitoring the health of the DG sets. They have various parameters like 

1. Voltage (V)
   
2. Current (A)
   
3. Temperature
4. Oil Levels (Lubricant)
5. Coolant
6. Radiator Water
7. Fuel
8. Continuous running time
   

to list a few. I am not sure of the others and will possibly update this as and when I learn more.

The personnel monitoring it have to take care that 

• The current does not go above a particular value
• The temperature is within limits and add coolant / radiator water as needed
  
• The oil level is maintained and the oil quality is within permissible limits and not getting black

They keep hourly logs of the above in case of longer power-cuts, so that the residents can enjoy uninterrupted power in their common areas. In some cases, when power usage levels are low, they need to shut down one of the DG Sets for an hour or so and then resume it again. They they proceed to shut down the other one. So load balancing too is done.

And we know that sometimes power-cuts happen during the night too. And even then, they continue their monitoring. In the night, there is the additional load of Street Lights, lobby lights and staircase lights.

In addition, there are problems like reverse-current, which need to be handled based on the situation.

Fuel / Diesel Consumption

As you would have guessed, the oil consumption increases as the load on the DG increases. At 10% load, it could use as little as 10-15 litres / hour. At peak loads (around 80%), the consumption could be as high at 50 l/hour. 

Imagine the heat generated at such loads. 

So it makes environmental sense to use as less of power from the DG set as possible. 

Additional Information:

Our DG Specification: 

1. Brand Name and Model Number: Powerica PTS/250-C/F31 - Silent DG Set
2. Rating: 250 / 200 kVA / KW
3. Noise Limit: 75 dB (A) at 1 Meter Distance

 

Possibly vendor who does AMC for the same: 

 

If you notice the image below, the panel provides information on Battery, Temperature, Oil Pressure and Hours of operation. Oil pressure indication is shown when the DG is in operation. If you are wondering what a battery is doing in the DG set, the DG set has a Diesel engine like your car (possibly bigger). To start the engine, it needs a battery to power it on. And (if all is good) it starts automatically when the power goes off.

 

Some Guidelines on maintaining:

 

Related Links

1. Estimated Load on our DG Sets as of March 2021
2. DG Set Power vs. Your own home UPS - a View
3. Overview of PH and its Facilities 
4. Services Available within PH
5. Electrical Outlets in your 3BHK Flat

Some Information on the Connections the DG Set currently has as on March 2021

(updated 14 April 2021) 

In order to get a better picture of the load on the DG Set, I walked into our Association office to get the information. The team there seemed to have a fair idea of the load and provided the following details:

Generator Capacity
	250	KW	x	2	500	KW	Max Capacity

Typically, 70-80% of the Rated capacity is considered safe to handle for short periods and 60-70% is considered OK for continuous use, something like our long 10am to 6 pm power cuts.

The following are the Load Areas to which the DG connects to: 

 High-level Overview:

 The below is an estimate from a trusted source. 

Sl.No	Description	KW	A broad Classification
1	WTP	66.5	Always
2	STP	88.2	Always
3	OWC	5.59	Always
4	Swimming Pool and Fountain	3.2	Always
5	Lifts	84	Always
6	Fire Booster Pumps	178	Emergency
7	Lift Lobby Area lights	145	Night
8	Stair Case lights	48	Night
9	Street Lights	2.2	Night
10	Ballard Lamp	2.8	Night
11	Badminton Court	1	Night
12	Main Gate	1	Night
13	Club House	2	Always
14	Terrace Lights	4.5	Night
	Total Load in KW	631.99

 * "Always" in the above table means "Should be always available" as the load varies and has a good probability of full utilization during certain periods of the day. For example, a large proportion of lifts will be operational during 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM when children come down to play and people come out to enjoy the evening.

 ** The above breakup is based on the 630 KW total estimated connected load

 Data Table:

Time of Day	Active Standby	Emergency (only pumps included - lighting to be estimated)	Additional Night Load
Estimated Load (Full utilization)	249.49	178	201.7
Percentage	39.48%	28.17%	31.92%

Details for some of the Areas covered above

	Numbers	Rated Power	Units	Power in Watts		Consumed Power
Usage
Street Lights Big	42			50	W	2100	W
Street Lights Small	53			9	W	477	W
Club House
LED Bulbs	10			9	W	90	W
AC in Gym	1			2000	W	2000	W
Swimming Pool	2	2	HP	1492	W	2984	W
Water Fall (opp Main Gate)
Ad Displays	15			30	W	450	W
Motors
Lifts	15	7.5	HP	5595	W	83925	W
OWC (Organic Waste Convertor)	1	5	HP	3730	W	3730	W
Fire Booster Pumps	16	7.5	HP	5595	W	89520	W
WTP (Water Treatment Plant)	2	5	HP	3730	W	7460	W
Water to Tank	10	7.5	HP	5595	W	55950	W
Shifting Motor	1	3	HP	2238	W	2238	W
Borewell Pumps
B1	1	2	HP	1492	W	1492	W
B2	1	3	HP	2238	W	2238	W
B3	1	5	HP	3730	W	3730	W
B4	1	10	HP	7460	W	7460	W
B5	1	7.5	HP	5595	W	5595	W
STP
Raw Water Motor	2	3	HP	2238	W	4476	W
Small Air Blower	2	5	HP	3730	W	7460	W
Air Blower	3	7.5	HP	5595	W	16785	W
Filter Feed Pump	3	5	HP	3730	W	11190	W
Sludge Holding	2	2	HP	1492	W	2984	W
Automatic Cistern	3	7.5	HP	5595	W	16785	W
Garden Motor	2	5	HP	3730	W	7460	W
Back Wash Motor	2	7.5	HP	5595	W	11190	W
Exhaust Fan	1	7.5	HP	5595	W	5595	W
Fresh Air Fan	1	3	HP	2238	W	2238	W
Rain Water (Pump?)	4	5	HP	3730	W	14920	W
Flats
Parking Area Lights
Lobby Lights
Floor Common Area	135			9	W	1215	W
Inside House (1 Fan 64W)	548			64	W	35072	W
Inside House (1 Light 20W))	548			20	W	10960	W
Total (expected)						408809	W

This is the difference that we get: 

Difference

91191

If you observe, I have not included items which I do not know - for example, parking area lights and lobby lights (anything which falls outside of what I calculated)

I was trying to get to the 400w spare capacity we are talking of that can be redistributed to the houses. If I were to look only at the difference, I would see only 91,191W available, this would leave us with 166 W per house. This is good enough to kill the DG Set at peak loads. 

So, what some experts opined on the telegram group was right - there is no slack if you consider that your output (for continued periods) is only 80%. In fact, it is in deficit. 

A Second View: 

I am taking a guess on where the 400W slack (mentioned in various meetings) is coming from. 

There is Some slack available in the following areas: 

Slack
Fire Booster Pumps (will be used only in case of fire or Tests or Drill)	16	7.5	HP	5595	W	89520
Inside House (1 Light 20W)) (assumption: will be used only during the night)	548	0	0	20	W	10960
Back Wash Motor (might not be used continuously)	2	7.5	HP	5595	W	11190
B4 **	1	10	HP	7460	W	7460
B5 ** (of the 5 Borewell pumps, two are used on rotation).	1	7.5	HP	5595	W	5595
Street Lights Big (used in the night)	42	0	0	50	W	2100
Street Lights Small (used in night)	53	0	0	9	W	477

This and the difference of 91,191 W comes to 2,18,493 W and could come to 399 units of slack. (With a lot of assumptions)

Another Way to Calculate Slack Capacity

One way (as suggested on Telegram group) of calculating Slack Capacity is to look at at the actual usage of the DG and calculate the slack. In most Manufacturing Units, once production starts, this is the established way to look at productivity and Slack. Also, all the time the BESCOM power is available can be considered as Slack time for our DG Set. However, for our discussion, let us take slack as "Prime Power Rating" provided by the manufacturer. 

 The prime power rating is the maximum power accessible at the variable load for an unlimited number of hours per year in a variable load setting. It is not advisable that the variable load exceed 70% average of the prime power rating during any operational period of 250 hours. (Source: Google and https://www.generatorsource.com/Standby_vs-_Prime_vs-_Continuous_Generator_Power.aspx and https://support.wellandpower.net/hc/en-us/articles/360001827297-What-is-Prime-Power-How-do-you-know-if-you-need-a-Generator-for-Prime-Power-What-is-PRP-)

 In most cases, a 250 KW DG Set could have a 200 KW prime power rating. Get 70% of that and we have 140 KW (for situations like 10 am to 6 pm power-cuts). Multiply that by 2 and we have 280 KW as the peak we can hit for a sufficiently long DG life. So any time we are exceeding 140 KW per DG set for extended periods (an hour or more), we might have to be concerned. Yes. let us dig into some data for this.

The photos of the Register where the load data is recorded are in the following folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17MqadpPb5mwRExnTkT7TaHn1-qxzkYdV?usp=sharing. Yet to digitize and make a graph of the usage.

Ommissions: 

1. I did not get the rating for the Fire PA system, the Cameras System and the power used by the common Airtel DTH connection. These still not included. And a few more are blank.
2. Play Area and Main Gate lighting / facilities not included in the details.
   
3. Does not include the temporary lighting for our night cricket infra on CA land. There are approximately 10 lights each with a capacity of 50W. That would make it 500W of load.
   
4. This is just a rough estimate. Feel free to let me know what I missed.
   

My Own View:

1. I do not see any slack left by the builder for further expansion of the DG set. Possibly, that was the minimum required for them to get an approval, especially for the fire systems.
2. The slack is just at the safely margin and anything we add to the load (like our advertisement display systems and our extended lights on the CA land) only gets us out of the safety net.
3. I agree with one of the opinions on the group - Common amenities are for common areas. 
4. Please realize - the above are also "Assets" in PH books and for our common usage. While we need to optimally utilize them, we also need to ensure their long life. 
   

Open Questions:

1. I do not see a plan on how Fuel used would be apportioned between those who opt in for the extension and those who opt out. I am not even sure of the legality of extending a common resource for those who are ready to pay an upfront cost and piggy back on a common asset.
2. Who bears the cost if a DG set fails? Would those who opted for extension elect to pay ~4.5 times more (400W) for the asset than those who use the default (84W)
   

 

You can download the calculation file here: DG Load Calculation Sheet

Related Links

1. Additional Information on DG Set and its monitoring
2. DG Set Power vs Your own UPS for your flat - IMHO
3. DG Set Extension - Need vs. Stated Goals
   
4. Overview of PH and its Facilities 
5. Services Available within PH 
6. Electrical Outlets in your 3BHK Flat