CFLs to light homes in Bangalore rural, Kolar

Belaku will help State save 3,000 mu of power

Under the programme, consumers can exchange up to four incandescent bulbs per household for CFLs at a cost of Rs 15 each.

Inaugurating the programme on Monday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said 3,000 mu of power would be saved annually if this plan was implemented in the entire State.

He set a deadline of September 30 this year to complete the process.
Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje requested private manufacturers of CFLs not to hike prices unreasonably, making it difficult for the public to purchase the bulbs. She said replacing incandescent bulbs with CFL would save 500 MW of power and requested people to cooperate with the Energy department.

The Belaku programme is a part of the Central government programme Bachat Lamp Yojana developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to promote efficient lighting.

The Belaku programme will first be implemented in Kolar and Bangalore rural along with a pilot programme in Tavarekere. The bulbs will be sold by the private companies directly during door-to-door campaign, in which Bescom officials will accompany them. Bulbs of 60W and 100W will be replaced with 11W and 18W CFLs.

Each bulb will cost Rs 15 and each house can get a maximum of four bulbs. The market rate for a CFL of approximately the equivalent wattage ranges from Rs 110-Rs 160.

For Kolar and Bangalore, the bulbs will be distributed by HPL Limited. Tenders have been called for distribution in Bangalore Urban area and by other Escoms.

The private company will recover the cost differential between the market price of the CFLs and the price at which they are sold by collecting certified emission reduction credits commonly known as carbon credits.

This initiative is part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. This system will be overseen by The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).