By Prof. Alex Magno
Sometimes saving the world involves doing something as simple as changing the light bulbs we use.
We have about 15 million households in this country. Each household uses an average of 3 light bulbs. That adds up to 45 million bulbs.
According to estimates made by the Asian Development Bank, if we are able to switch only a million 60-watt incandescent bulbs to 13-watt compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which deliver the same lighting capacity, the country will save roughly the equivalent electricity generating capacity of a 50-megawatt generating plant.
That is not an insignificant gain.
A 50-megawatt generating plant costs US$50 million to build. If it is powered by bunker fuel, that represents additional oil imports in a price regime that is unlikely to decline substantially. If it uses coal, this represents a tremendous amount of pollution that aggravates global warming.
And it is a gain achieved simply by switching light bulbs. No decrease in the brightness we enjoy. No additional cost in the end for individual consumers, considering the savings in energy costs over time. All it involves is front-ending some of the costs of purchasing a CFL instead of an incandescent bulb. CFLs last much longer and consume vastly less power. Read more...
Related articles: CFLs can bring down power bills by up to 80%, P.5 B allotted for light bulb conversion
Sometimes saving the world involves doing something as simple as changing the light bulbs we use.
We have about 15 million households in this country. Each household uses an average of 3 light bulbs. That adds up to 45 million bulbs.
According to estimates made by the Asian Development Bank, if we are able to switch only a million 60-watt incandescent bulbs to 13-watt compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which deliver the same lighting capacity, the country will save roughly the equivalent electricity generating capacity of a 50-megawatt generating plant.
That is not an insignificant gain.
A 50-megawatt generating plant costs US$50 million to build. If it is powered by bunker fuel, that represents additional oil imports in a price regime that is unlikely to decline substantially. If it uses coal, this represents a tremendous amount of pollution that aggravates global warming.
And it is a gain achieved simply by switching light bulbs. No decrease in the brightness we enjoy. No additional cost in the end for individual consumers, considering the savings in energy costs over time. All it involves is front-ending some of the costs of purchasing a CFL instead of an incandescent bulb. CFLs last much longer and consume vastly less power. Read more...
Related articles: CFLs can bring down power bills by up to 80%, P.5 B allotted for light bulb conversion
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