Sony, Toyota Cut Electricity Usage as Mandatory Savings Start
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Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. are among Japanese companies changing working hours and shifting production to weekends to save energy as the country’s first mandatory power-saving drive since the 1970s starts today.
Heavy users like Sony, Toyota, Panasonic Corp. and Komatsu Ltd. are required to cut electricity consumption by 15 percent to help avoid blackouts after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power plants operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. Temperatures rose this week to 35.1 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), the highest this year, increasing air conditioners use in homes and offices.