In a remote village in Kaixian County of Chongqing, Zhang Qingtian lives alone in a brick house built by the village committee five years ago.

Zhang Qingtian.

The 74-year-old man, a young village official discovered while on a routine visit of villagers, has used only 6.1 kilowatt-hour of electricity in the past five years, according to Chongqing Evening News.

Huang Chuang, the village official, was so impressed by Zhang's frugality that he posted his story on the Internet. It attracted the attention of thousands of online users, who dubbed him a "pioneer of energy-saving."

"I just want people to know that each one of us also can be much thriftier like Zhang Qingtian," Huang said.

Netizens have calculated that to use only 6.1 kilowatt-hours of electricity in five years, Zhang would have had to use a lamp for no more than 39.6 minutes a day.

"If there was any [natural] light in the room, Zhang would not turn on a lamp," said Hu Jiquan, Zhang's neighbor.

The county power supplier has confirmed that Zhang's electricity meter is not broken.

Tian Daben, another village committee official, said money also is not an issue. Zhang receives 2,200 yuan (US$330) in subsidies each year from the government, enough to cover his expenses, Tian said.