Hong Kong has launched a three-month public consultation on the restriction of sale of energy-inefficient incandescent light bulbs.
Taking into account overseas experience and the supply of replacement options for ILB, Hong Kong's government proposes to progressively phase out ILB to conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and alleviate the impact of climate change.
"Lighting on average accounted for around 15% of total electricity consumption in Hong Kong in the past decade. ILB work by heating a tungsten filament with 90% of the consumed electricity lost as heat, and only 10% is used for lighting. Replacing ILB with more energy-efficient products will achieve substantial savings in electricity consumption. Moreover, the public can save money in electricity bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Chan Fan, deputy director of Hong Kong's electrical and mechanical services.
In the consultation document, the government proposes to restrict the supply of energy-inefficient non-reflector type ILB by phases through legislation. The initial phase of the proposed mandatory scheme will cover non-reflector type ILB that are 25 watts or above, which includes general lighting service lamps, candle-shaped, round-shaped and other decorative lamps, but excludes tungsten halogen lamps. The Government proposes to prohibit the supply of lamps that cannot meet the minimum energy performance standards and to govern the supply of lamps that can meet the MEPS through a registration system.
The government says it expects the scheme to achieve an electricity saving of up to 390 GWh per annum. Assuming an average tariff of HKD1.00 per kWh, the scheme can reportedly achieve an annual saving of HKD390 million in electricity bills and reduce carbon emissions by 273,000 tons.