GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/2 Sept) — Power utility South Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Socoteco)-II has launched the distribution of some 132,000 compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) here and in nine other towns in Sarangani and South Cotabato provinces as part of a massive nationwide campaign to clear households of the “power-hungry” incandescent light bulbs.
Joy Celeste Alora, Socoteco-II information officer, said Thursday they started the free switch to the energy-efficient CFLs starting September 1.
“This is to encourage our power consumers to rid their households of incandescent bulbs, which use up a lot of energy and eventually increase their power bills,” she said.
Alora said the distribution of the CFLs is part of the “Palit-Ilaw” program implemented nationwide by the Department of Energy (DOE) through local power distribution utilities or electric cooperatives.
The program, which is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF), is among the initiatives introduced by the national government under the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program.
The DOE said the program aims to eliminate the use of incandescent bulb, a “very old lighting technology in which 80 percent of the energy used is turned into heat and only 20 percent is converted to light.”
It said the CFLs, which it dubbed as “energy-saver lamp,” may reportedly last up to 6,000 to 10,000 hours while the standard incandescent bulbs are usually good for only 750 to 1,000 hours.
Under the program, Alora said power consumers in the area may avail of at least six CFLs each in exchange for six old but working incandescent light bulbs.
But as required by the DOE, she said only incandescent bulbs with a listed capacity of 25 to 60 watts are qualified for the switch program.
Alora said power consumers may avail of the free CFLs through the claims centers that were established at their main office here and sub-stations within their service area.
Socoteco-II covers this city, the seven municipalities of Sarangani province and two municipalities in South Cotabato’s first district.
“They only need to present their latest receipts and the working incandescent bulbs to avail the free CFLs,” she said.
Alora said they have been actively campaigning among local consumers for the immediate switch to CFLs to help households maintain a more efficient power consumption.
Aside from the households, she said the campaign also covers local companies and government offices in the area. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)
