Free LED bulbs at Courts Barbados

by Pamala Proverbs

 

_{Photo author PRMR Inc. Long lines at Courts Sheraton Mall}

For a package each containing five LED bulbs, Barbadians flocked to Courts, Sheraton Mall in big numbers on Friday, July 10, filling the aisles of the popular mall for most of the day.

Barbadians have been lamenting the rising electrical costs in recent years, caused mainly by fluctuating oil prices and the country’s dependence on fossil fuels for power generation.  The lines at Sheraton started from the area just beyond the food court, snaked westward and returned to the Courts entrance, easily covering the length of two blocks of stores.  The large turnout of people underscored the need for alternative energy sources for local households.

“I’m waiting on some money to buy more of these LED bulbs, but I’m glad they gave me a boost,” said one of the hundreds of people lining up from around 10 a.m. for the final day of the initiative launched four months ago by the Division of Energy and the Enterprise Growth Fund Limited.

The project was also a component of the Energy Smart Fund, energy efficiency lighting distribution facility, and the response by the public was overwhelming, said Smart Fund project officer, Sherry Waithe.  “We have had an overwhelming response. This is the last day, since we have gone to the other Courts locations, but this is by far the most well received,” said Miss Waithe, who added that the project had started on March 30 and ended July 10.  But there is more good news. “We will start a second phase in September, and that should run until December,” she said.

The objective of the programme is to encourage householders to change their high energy-burning incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs to LEDs with the aim of making Barbados energy efficient.

LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have numerous advantages over incandescent and other light sources, including lower energy consumption, longer life, improved physical robustness, smaller size, and faster switching.

Other partners involved in the local energy conservation project, which will feature other initiatives shortly, are the Barbados Light & Power Company Limited, Caribbean LED Lighting, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

 

 

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