Philippines to phase out incandescent bulbs

The Philippines plans to phase out incandescent bulbs by January 2010 to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy, according to the Asian Development Bank.

In a statement, the ADB said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself announced the plan to shift to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

ADB deputy director general for Southeast Asia Thomas Crouch lauded the government's plan, saying the best way to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gases is to use energy more efficiently.

Australia made a similar move early last year, which was followed by Canada and other industrialized countries.

The ADB acted as technical advisor to the Energy Summit, assisting the Department of Energy in developing plans to address climate change and reduce energy consumption.

“The climate change challenge is a global one. ADB will support and encourage other developing countries to follow the government of Philippines’ lead and make the switch to more energy-efficient products like compact fluorescent lamps,” Crouch said.

The ADB said that while compact fluorescent lamps are more expensive to buy than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves in lower power bills within a year.

Compact fluorescent lamps use around 20 percent of the electricity used by incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light. Also, they last six to ten times longer than the average incandescent bulb.

ADB is extending a $30 million loan later this year to the Philippines to help fund a range of programs on energy efficiency, including pilot programs that could be continued as long-term development projects.

The bank said portions of the funding could be used to provide compact fluorescent lamps to low-income families to mitigate the impact of the change from incandescent lighting.

It said the switch to compact fluorescent lamps is expected to result in household lighting costs reduction by as much as 80 percent, and reduction in annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2 million metric tons starting 2010.

"Additionally, national electricity demand is expected to fall by 2,000 megawatts, or the equivalent of electricity generated by six power plants," the ADB said.

Electric lighting generates emissions equal to 70 percent of those from all the world’s passenger vehicles, and 90 percent of the energy consumed by each bulb generates heat, which then adds to air-conditioning costs.