Expect a down curve in the power demand from Bohol's power distributors as hundreds of households make the switch to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) from the energy sapping incandescent bulbs since September 22.
This as the Department of Energy (DOE) brings to Bohol the second tranche of the National Residential Lighting Program under the Philippine Energy Efficient Project (PPP), which gives out energy efficient CFLS for the energy zapping and inefficient incandescent lamps in households, according to a communications signed by Director Antonio Labios.
According to the DOE, the program also aims to reduce household energy expenditures, which can in turn be used to spend for other priorities.
At the Dampas Barangay Hall Complex here in Tagbilaran City, representatives from Bohol's congressional districts as well as household recipients attending the program kick-off in the Visayas went home with CFLS after the late afternoon activity attended by Dampas barangay officials led by Chairman Fredison Ingles and DOE Central Visayas.
Also simultaneous on the same day are similar events held at the National Capital region, Camarines Sur, Baguio and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
Funded in part by the Asian development Bank, the activity ultimately seeks to motivate every household in the country to root for the CFLs, which may be a bit costly but usually outlives an ordinary incandescent lamp by almost ten times.
According to Mother Nature Network (MNN), if a 13 watt compact fluorescent lamp and its equivalent- 60 watt incandescent bulb – are lit for 8,000 hours, CFL consumes only about a quarter of the energy used to light the 60 watt incandescent.
The same study used by MNN also shows that it would only need some 104 kilowatts to light the CFL for 8,000 hours while the incandescent lamp would have used 480 kilowatts.
That is also not considering that an incandescent lamp may not last that long, pointing to a fact that CFLs outlast them by about ten times.
The same comparative study by MNN showed that even if every US home replaces one bulb to CFL, the energy savings would be enough to light more than three million homes.
On the other hand, one incandescent bulb in every US home produce enough greenhouse gasses equivaent to 800,000 cars.
Incandescent bulbs' downside generally is its using only 10% of the energy for lighting while wasting the rest of the 90% in heat which they use to burn atoms and photons, research showed.
This then means that when paying for your bills, a huge part of it is paying for the heat which your appliances emit to operate, one than can be eliminated with the right technology, DOE sources said.
With households and industries continuing to zap power from overly burdened power grids especially by simply picking the incandescent bulbs, the government is now motivating people to simply make the switch and adopt more energy efficient technologies, like the CFL, to save energy enough to stretch the available supply until more power sources are put up.
