Use of energy bulbs saves power consumption

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15-07-08

THE use of energy saving bulbs which were distributed by the government free of charge to Ghanaians has led to a reduction in the power consumption on the national grid by 200 megawatts between October 2007 when the distribution started till now.
The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said for instance as of 13th July 2008, the consumption was 1080 megawatts instead of 1400 that would have been consumed with the incandescant bulbs, saying that the difference was due to the use of the energy bulbs.
He said six million energy saving bulbs were distributed, costing the government $12 million, adding that “as far as we are concerned, our objectives have been met”.
He said the aim of the distribution of bulbs was to reduce the pressure on the national grid and the cost incurred by consumers on the use of electricity.
Dr Ahenkorah said all the incandescent bulbs collected from households during the distribution of the energy saving bulbs had been destroyed.
He indicated that reports from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had shown that the consumption had reduced, and underscored the need for people to use electricity wisely.
He said Ghanaians would have more access to energy saving bulbs since there was a company in the country that was manufacturing such bulbs.
The Energy Commission distributed compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) to consumers free of charge as it steps up efforts to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis which began in August and save more energy, among other things.
The consumption of electricity of the compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) is far lower than the incandescent bulbs, popularly called the onion bulbs, that most consumers former used.
Following the distribution, most consumers expressed their appreciation to the government for the compact fluorescent lamps since it reduced the cost of energy consumption.