Public Utilities Minister, Marvin Gonzales, and the Chairman of Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), Keith Sirju, held a virtual Press Conference on Monday (21st September 2020) to announce the long-awaited distribution of free LED bulbs. This distribution plan was initially promised to the population in the last Budget, by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. Since then it has been the subject of many local memes, mocking the seemingly empty promises made by the Government. Starting from today (Tuesday 22nd September 2020), members of the public can begin to collect their four (4) free LED bulbs per household, as follows:
In our tests today, the earliest available date to collect bulbs at some T&TEC Service Centres was 13th October 2020. Availability may slip further as more people book appointments. Minister Gonzales noted during the Press Conference that the distribution of the LED bulbs is the Government’s first step in its multi-pronged and multi-tiered strategy for implementation of energy conservation and energy efficiency practices. The bulbs, which were supplied by Nova Lighting Trinidad and manufactured by Emitter Energy Inc, cost taxpayers a total of $8.8 Million and their distribution will be facilitated by T&TEC. Sirju, the Chairman of T&TEC, said customers can save approximately $25 per billing cycle by replacing four (4) 60 Watt incandescent bulbs with LEDs. He said LED bulbs also have a much longer life span - 15,000 hours - compared to the 1,000-hour life span of an incandescent bulb. He further noted that LED bulbs also reduce carbon emissions by as much as 17 per cent. According to Minister Gonzales, a recently completed pilot project at Tower C of the International Waterfront Centre showed that the State can save $350,000 per year by just turning off the lights in the building at night. He noted, “If fully embraced by the national community, as it must be, our Energy Conservation and Efficiency Plan will lead to $1.2 Billion in energy cost savings over the next five (5) years and $2.72 Billion by 2030.” Gonzales said cutting down in energy use will also have a positive impact on this country’s carbon emissions, which are among the highest in the World. A reduction of about six (6) million tonnes of emissions over the next five (5) years. He said by 2030, those emissions would be reduced by 18 million tonnes. We are fully aware that securing these benefits requires a turn-around in the ways in which we use electricity in Trinidad and Tobago. The truth is that we, the consumers, do not bear the full cost of the electricity that keeps our lights on and our appliances running. Gonzales said the average account holder enjoys an 80% subsidy on their electricity bills because T&TEC pays less for natural gas and the full production cost is not passed on to customers. “This, unfortunately, has led to a very cavalier and ‘entitled’ approach to our electricity usage, and that is something that we must change if we are to reap the benefits that I mentioned earlier,” he said. [Source]
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