Pham Ngoc Thang, 21, has become well-known in Vietnam for his efforts to save energy and protect the environment.

Thang, a student of FPT University, together with his friends have devised a piece of software, ToiTietKiem.Vn Professional, which can help students save around 22% of their energy consumption, equivalent to about VND88,000 (USD4.2) per month.

The software won him first prize in a contest on ideas from young people on energy saving.

People are encouraged to download his software for free at toitietkiem.vn. It slows down the speed of the computers hardware, slashing energy consumption by the CPU, both during use and idle time.

Thang also spends his time disseminating information about energy efficiency by making internet clips, which are funny but also contain environmental messages.

Tips to save petrol for motorbikes as well as to maximise efficiency among home appliances are constantly updated on his website toitietkiem.vn

“You should make a list of your monthly expenses, which can help you see how much energy you’ve used and then try to reduce it. Saving energy really needs to be made a priority. In fact, Vietnamese are often keen on buying cheap things but do not pay much attention to how to use them efficiently,” Thang said.

Thang along with his friends has launched a campaign on April 7 to install his software on the PCs of nine universities in Vietnam.

Thang and his friends in Green Ideas Group

Thang (Centre) awarded a certificate of merit at Young Creation festival 2010

Reminder stickers