Energy Saving Lightbulbs

[cat5]

My friend's son is doing a school project on saving energy in developing countries. He asked me if energy saving bulbs are used in Thailand and how much they cost. As I'm not currently in Thailand, I couldn't answer him about the cost. Anyone here got an idea about the cost of a typical 10 or 15W branded energy saving bulb in Carrefour / Big C / Lotus? A link to prices would be even better.

Thanks!

[bkkjames]

Yes, I buy the Philip CFL : if I recall correctly they were 80-100 baht each.

[mahtin]

An interesting success story is the Demand-side Management Programme in the power sector of Thailand, partly funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Recognising the severe impacts of accelerated energy demand, the Thai Government has adopted a comprehensive Demand-Side Management (DSM) Plan for the power sector. A five-year (1993-97) DSM Master Plan was formulated and implemented with a total budget of US$189 million. By the end of October 1997, the DSM programmes were saving 295 MW of peak demand and 1,564 GWh a year of electrical energy. The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions through implementing the DSM programmes was estimated at more than 1 million tonnes a year while investment requirement in power generation was reduced by US$295 million.

The programmes also resulted in consumer savings of US$100 million a year in terms of electricity bills. The DSM programmes include: switching lamp production from fat tubes (40 W and 20 W) to slim tubes (26 W and 18 W) and promotion, by the Electricity Authority of Thailand (EGAT), of compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps through price differentials.

There is also the Green Building Program, through which commercial buildings can obtain Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) at a subsidized price. For existing buildings, EGAT carries out an energy audit, design, and retrofitting of electrical systems to comply with the energy efficiency requirements set by the Government. EGAT also provides interest-free loans to building owners for energy-saving modifications; a programme to replace fluorescent lamps for rural street lighting with subsidized high-pressure sodium vapour lamps; a campaign to test refrigerators and air-conditioners for efficiency, and interest-free loans to purchase efficient air-conditioners.

http://www.unep.org/dec/onlinemanual/Enforcement/InstitutionalFrameworks/EconomicInstruments/Resource/tabid/1011/Default.aspx

[chickenslegs]

Recently, I have paid 135baht for 11w energy saving bulbs and 210baht for 20w bulbs (Phillips brand).

Cheaper energy saving bulbs are available (I've paid as little as 50baht for 11w bulbs) but they are not 'branded' - well, not any brand I've ever heard of.

We get a lot of power cuts here and I'm sure that reduces the longevity of the bulbs. We have about 40 of the 11w bulbs in our house and I replace an average of 6 each year.

Are energy saving bulbs commonly used in Thailand? I'm not sure. I see them in modern houses and condos, but I doubt that the average Thai household has them - they're just too expensive.

Edited August 4, 2010 by chickenslegs

[Peterbigeyes]

I'll go with the phillips one too. Good bang for buck

[johna]

It has finally been proven that energy efficient light bulbs are energy efficient, that is they save more energy over their live span than is used in manufacturing them.