Wireless sensor networks consist of energy constrained sensor nodes. The main challenge of the researchers is to utilize the energy of the wireless sensor network in an efficient manner. By minimizing the energy usage, the network lifetime can be improved. Energy efficiency can be obtained by using various techniques. Optimal base station placement is one of the techniques used to minimize the energy consumption. The sensor nodes in the network forward their sensed data to the base station either directly (single-hop) or indirectly (multi-hop). The distance between the source and the sink determines the level of energy consumption. The more distance between the sender and the receiver consumes more energy. By using proper routing algorithms, the distance between the node and the base station can be minimized. In our paper, we propose an energy efficient base station placement in a clustered wireless sensor networks (EMBS) to improve the lifetime of the wireless sensor networks. Network Simulator tools were used to evaluate the performance of the system. © 2005 - 2014 JATIT & LLS. All rights reserved.