Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia bans incandescent bulbs and energy inefficient lighting devices.

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ZNS Commandant Major General Nathan Mulenga (left) and Ministry of Energy and Water Development Permanent Secretary Emelda Chola
ZNS Commandant Major General Nathan Mulenga (left) and Ministry of Energy and Water Development Permanent Secretary Emelda Chola

Government has announced a ban on local manufacturing and importation of incandescent bulbs and energy inefficient lighting devices in Zambia.

Ministry of Energy and Water Development Permanent Secretary Emelda Chola said the ban will be implemented gradually starting with the ban on the importation of such products effective 1 January 2016.

Brigadier General Chola explained that the ban on the selling of incandescent bulbs will be effected on 30th June 2016 while incandescent bulbs will be completely phased out by 31st December 2016.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Chola has dispelled assertions from certain sections of society that compact florescent lamps are hazardous to human health due to the presence of mercury in energy saving bulbs.

In a statement, Brigadier General Chola said in order to successfully implement this program, government will through Zesco facilitate the procurement and distribution of an additional 5 million energy saving bulbs which is expected to save additional 200 megawatts.

20 COMMENTS

    • When a whole major general calls on the press, to talk about light bulbs then you know things in a nation are utterly shambolic!

  1. Poor way of doing things, business. Expect to throw away the reminder of incandescent lamps not sold by June 30, 2016 and remove all incandescent lamps in operation by December 31, 2016. This will never happen in any developed Country. All what the government is suppose to do is to burn importing and manufacturing of incandescent lamps, and help local incandescent lamp manufacturer to transitional to energy saver lamps. Is PF a good working government? This is a problem when manpower is misplaced. It is time to seek new government. PF will never change in doing business. I cannot see how Zambia will develop by this kind of reasoning. Look at the performance of ZR, ZESCO, ZAMTEL, ZAFFICO etc. Also the quality of some paved roads.

    • You are very right.
      PFu could have given us hope if it was announcing some operational changes. But awe sure. Liluba walya! Sometimes I wonder what is discussed in cabinet meetings.

  2. This is really the dullest bunch of people ever to be in Government!

    What they are saying is thst we are too stuupid to know about which bulbs use less electricity!

    Wake up you foools. Stop wasting time and money with this nonsense. Get on with the job of fixing our electricity supply.

    Is it your job to tell Zambians what they can and cannot do in their own homes?

    Next you will be telling us what kind of toilet tissue we can and cannot use!

    Get out Marubbish PF !!!!!!

    • You are the oned who is a pure rubb!sh and waste of space! Once the importation and manufacturing of any item is banned where do you think Zambians are suppose to get incandescent bulds? Any responsible government would do the same in the midist of electric powe shortage!
      HH sycophants sometimes are bloody annoying!

    • The prices of the energy serving bulbs are exhorbitant for an ordinary citizen who is already living on less a dollar per day. Make these ES bulbs affordable then your campaign will be meaniful !!!

  3. THIS IS ADDRESSED TO LUSAKA TIMES EDITORS:
    In second paragraph the lady is referred to as “Permanent Secretary Emelda Chola”; however from paragraph three downwards the same lady is referred to as “Brigadier General Chola”.

    The correct writing in this case to avoid misleading people would have been”Permanent Secretary Brigadier General Emelda Chola”. We do the same for people like: “Vice President Dr. Cannacius Banda”.

  4. It’s a good move to ban incandescent bulb and inefficient lighting, but with the introduction of florescent lamp which is hazardous to human health need proper disposing off.so the government through zema should found a company which will be collecting this florescent tube from the house’s because if left an checked it will bring problems in the human health because of that mercury.

  5. Dont tell me they are only being banned in Zed now. They have been banned here for the past ten years and we are just neighbouring countries

    • E*****ic capacity!

      Just provide the electricity. We buy it so WE decide how to use it!

      Do we tell you what you must eat for lunch?

      Too much UNIP PF thinking has corrupted this general general brain.

      Have you forgotten we fought for freedom? That means freedom to choose the light bulb we want!

  6. This is a technical matter. The power required for a million incandescent bulbs of 100W each is 1,000,000×100= 100MW. If Zambia switches to 10W energy saving bulbs this is 10MW a saving of 90MW which is similar to constructing a new 90MW power station (ITT 120 MW and Vic Falls 108MW). Because of this some countries like Uganda have given free energy saving bulbs to their consumers as a way of mitigating the energy shortage. 10 x 100W incandescent bulbs in a house lit for 10 hours is 10x100x30 = 300 units and only 30 units for energy savers per month. Anyone who thinks this is a political decision let him continue using incandescent bulbs which other people are discarding.

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