A local manufacturer of energy-efficient light bulbs has suggested that Government put a ban on less efficient incandescent bulbs.
The call from Jim Reid, chief executive officer of Caribbean LED Lighting, came during a presentation at the Barbados Renewable Energy Road Show at Pelican Village.
Reid said some companies had already changed their old lighting fixtures to LED and they were realizing thousands of dollars in savings in their electricity bills per month.
“The utility cost is killing our economy,”?he said. “We are not the most expensive but Barbados is right up there in terms of cost. The cost of generating electricity in Barbados is huge but we can save about 15 per cent just by using LED lighting. It is huge savings and it is really important.”
Adding that Barbadians were guilty of wasting energy, Reid said it did not make sense talking about expanding the renewable energy sector without addressing the issue of energy efficiency.
Besides the changing out of old appliances, Reid suggested a greater uptake of LED light bulbs among individuals and businesses.
“This requires a major shift in legislation. This is something the Barbados government could take on board right now. They could ban incandescent lamps. A 60-watt incandescent lamp could be replaced with a 5-watt LED. Why on earth do we sell those at the shops . . . they should be banned,” he said.
Reid added that Barbadians should embrace things like motion sensors, timers and other new technologies that could assist in energy efficiency.
He said while it was human tendency to go for the cheapest it was not necessarily the best, noting that LED bulbs did not contain mercury like those of fluorescent and incandescent bulbs and by using LED lamps, carbon dioxide emission could be lowered dramatically”. (MM)
