Energy Literacy and Bill Reduction Advisor for Urban Low-Income Households

Objective: Develop an accessible digital solution that helps low-income urban families in India understand electricity usage and reduce their monthly bills through tailored advice.

Lack of energy literacy among low-income urban families in India leads to inefficient electricity usage and higher utility bills, disproportionately impacting their finances and quality of life. Many residents of informal settlements or slum areas are unaware of how daily behaviours and appliance choices affect their electricity consumption, directly relating to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.

This project proposes a mobile-first, low-data digital advisor that demystifies household electricity bills, analyses usage patterns (via manual entry or photo-upload of bills), and provides actionable, context-specific recommendations to reduce costs—such as appliance use tips, peak-hour avoidance, and subsidy eligibility alerts. The tool uses open datasets and basic AI/ML to personalize advice without requiring smart meters or IoT devices.

Key features include multilingual support, an intuitive interface for non-technical users, offline guidance resources, and a community feedback module. The prototype will be piloted in select urban low-income areas, integrating local tariff structures and leveraging open datasets (e.g., electricity prices, weather, census block data). The deliverable is a working web/mobile app plus an impact report on household bill reduction and user comprehension.

Measurable impact includes percentage reduction in electricity bills and increase in user energy-awareness (pre/post surveys). The solution is designed for easy scaling via NGOs, local governments, or utility partners, and can be adapted to other regions or languages as needed.