Government phasing out “lights that are not energy efficient”

Barbados will soon be one step closer to meeting its Barbados National Energy Policy (2019-2030) goals with the implementation of The Control of Inefficient Lighting Act, 2021, which begins in January 2022.

The Act, which was passed in July 2021, seeks to phase-out lights that are not energy efficient. It is geared at reducing the cost of energy in Barbados, while increasing energy security and mitigating the negative effects of energy consumption on the environment, locally and globally.

“Saving on electricity through efficient lighting will benefit everyone in Barbados, but most importantly it will help us get closer to our country’s goal of becoming a 100% renewable energy and carbon neutral island-state by 2030” says Delano Scantlebury, Project Director of the Project Monitoring and Coordination Team in the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Once implemented, the Act will restrict the importation and sale of lights that are not energy efficient in a phased manner. The implementation of the Act will be managed by the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship in association with the Barbados National Standards Institute (BNSI).

The requirements of the Act will be staggered, in that they will increase over time until only lights with the required level of efficiency are imported. Key milestones in the process are as follows.

• January 2022: lamps with less than 15 lumens per watt cannot be imported.

• July 2022: lamps with less than 25 lumens per watt cannot be imported.

• January 2023: lamps with less than 40 lumens per watt cannot be imported.

• July 2023: lamps with less than 55 lumens per watt cannot be imported.

Prohibitions on manufacturing and selling will also be in place during the 2 years of implementation. The Ministry has placed full details on their smartenergybarbados.com website.

Energy efficient lighting will play a significant role in Barbados realising its energy efficiency potential and solidifying its position as an Energy Champion in the region.

A study conducted on the Sustainable Energy Framework for Barbados (SEFB) revealed that energy efficient lighting technologies are among the most viable energy efficiency interventions available, as well as those that have the shortest payback periods. The SEFB study estimates that energy efficient lighting could represent about a third of potential savings of electricity for residential, commercial and public customers.

“Switching to efficient light bulbs can help individuals save money in electricity”, Scantlebury explained. “For example, replacing 100 incandescent bulbs with more energy efficient LEDs could mean savings of almost $7 000 per year, and it is an investment that can be recovered in just over 2 months.”

Modern lighting technology enables the consumption of less energy without compromising brightness or quality. Energy efficient lighting is also relatively low in cost and easy to install.

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