The third phase of the Control of Inefficient Lighting Act will commence on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
This reminder to businesses, householders and the general public has come from acting Project Director in the Project Monitoring and Coordination Team, Ministry of Energy and Business, Delano Scantlebury, as he underscored the importance of energy efficient lighting.
Mr. Scantlebury stated: “The third of five phases will commence on January 1, 2023, with a prohibition on the manufacture, sale, distribution and retail of any electrical lamp which emits less than 25 lumens per watt, and a prohibition on the importation of any electrical lamp which emits less than 40 lumens per watt.
“This phase-out process is an integral element of the Barbados National Energy Policy and is focused on reducing the cost of energy in the country, while increasing energy security and mitigating the negative effects of energy consumption on the local and global environments.”
The Control of Inefficient Lighting Act was passed in July 2021, and provides for the phased elimination of the importation, sale and manufacture of inefficient electrical lamps. This phased elimination started on January 1, 2022. Lumens are a measure of the total light output from a light source, and the higher the lumen rating the “brighter” the lamp will appear.
According to the acting Project Director, energy efficient lighting could represent about a third of potential savings on electricity for residential, commercial and public customers.
“These savings have been estimated at between BDS$16.6 million and $30.8 million annually, depending on crude oil prices. Saving on electricity through efficient lighting will benefit everyone in Barbados, and will also help us get closer to our country’s goal of becoming a 100 per cent renewable energy and carbon neutral island-state by 2030,” Mr. Scantlebury explained.
He said energy efficient lighting technologies were among the most viable energy efficiency interventions available, and had the shortest payback periods. He added that they were also relatively low-cost and easy to implement.
The acting Project Director pointed out that modern lighting technology enables the consumption of less energy, without compromising brightness or quality. The implementation of the other phases are as follows:
- July 1, 2023 – Prohibition on the manufacture, sale, distribution and retail of any electrical lamp which emits less than 40 lumens per watt and a ban on the importation of any electrical lamp which emits less than 55 lumens.
- January 1, 2024 – Prohibition on the manufacture, sale, distribution and retail of any electrical lamp which emits less than 55 lumens per watt.
For more information on the Control of Inefficient Lighting Act, the public may go to the Ministry of Energy’s website.