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Lincoln Towindo Senior Reporter —
Government has approved the proposed ban on conventional filament light bulbs under new regulations aimed at enhancing Zimbabwe’s energy efficiency.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority will enforce this ban, which also includes selected electrical appliances. Stakeholders are concluding consultations over the regulations that come into force in 2017.
Experts say replacing five million conventional light bulbs with alternatives like Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs could save Zimbabwe over 300MW — which is enough to power Bulawayo.
LED bulbs, according to Zera, use up to 90 percent less energy and last more than six times longer than ordinary filament lamps. While a conventional bulb uses an average of 130 kWh at US$13 per year, an LED bulb requires only 15kWh at US$1,50 annually.
The compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) is another energy-saver, using 24kWh at US$2,40 per year.
Responding to written questions from The Sunday Mail, Zera chief executive Engineer Gloria Magombo said, “The regulations you are referring to are now called Inefficient Lighting Ban and Labelling Regulations. The Minimum Energy Performance Standards for Lighting are part of those regulations.
“Use of inefficient lighting is prevalent in Zimbabwe, with the incandescent light bulb being largely for residential (purposes). The regulations are under stakeholder consultation and expected to be promulgated in the coming year.
“Government has approved Inefficient Lighting Ban and Labelling Regulations and as given above, they are under final stakeholder consultation before promulgation. However, a grace period shall be in place after promulgation to raise public awareness.”
She continued: “The regulations are targeting inefficient lighting bulbs, which include incandescent lights for domestic and industrial use. Zera has engaged the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Bureau Veritas regarding the importation of the electricity products and availed to them the draft regulations.
“Standards have been developed for various equipment used in the industry such as solar PV panels, batteries, charge controllers and LED lighting, and these have been availed to the ministry and BV as well to facilitate monitoring of these products.”
The regulations specify the performance requirements for various devices, limiting the energy a product consumes per task.
In 2011, Zesa Holdings introduced a US$12 million bulb exchange programme, and thousands of households received free CFL bulbs in exchange for their filament bulbs.
South Africa has since phased out incandescent light bulbs and plans to replace all energy-inefficient bulbs before 2016 is out. This will make it the first African country to undertake a comprehensive national transition from inefficient lighting.
Online Reporter