Lighting regulations set to kick in

Importers, manufacturers and retailers of light bulbs or electric lamps, face being fined as much as $100,000 come January 1, 2022 if they are not in compliance with The Control of Inefficient Lighting Act which comes into effect then.

The Act, which was passed by lawmakers in July this year, seeks to phase out lights that are not energy-efficient, and is geared at reducing the cost of energy in Barbados while increasing energy security and mitigating the negative effects of energy consumption on the environment.

Once enacted, the law will restrict the importation, manufacturing and sale of lights that are not energy-efficient in a phased manner. The implementation of the Act will be managed by the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship in association with the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI).

According to part four, Section 12 of the Act, come January 1, 2022, the importation of lamps with less than 15 lumens per watt will be prohibited, and from July 1, 2022 no person shall manufacture or sell any electrical lamp for local use which emits less than 15 lumens.

Lumen refers to a measure of the total quantity of visible light that is emitted by a source per unit of time or typically refers to the measure of light energy, which means that the higher the lumen the brighter the light .
LED or efficient lighting generally produces between 75 and 100 lumens per watt.

Any electrical lamp which emits less than 25 lumens per watt will be prohibited come July 1, 2022, and therefore no one shall be allowed to import, manufacture or sell them.

January 1, 2023 lamps with less than 40 lumens per watt cannot be imported and July 2023 lamps with less than 55 lumens per watt would be banned. Prohibitions on manufacturing and selling will also be in place during the period.

According to the Act, a person who contravenes section 12 is “guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term of one year or to both; and in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine of $1,000 for each day or part thereof during which the offence continues after which a conviction was first obtained”.

The Act also carries similar fines and jail time for other offences.

Several light retailers told Barbados TODAY on Tuesday that they are still to get familiarized with the new law.
Delano Scantlebury, Project Director of the Project Monitoring and Coordination Team in the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, said energy efficiency lighting will play a significant role in Barbados realising its energy efficiency potential and solidifying its position as an energy champion in the region.

“Saving on electricity through efficient lighting will benefit everyone in Barbados, but most importantly it will help us get closer to our country’s goal of becoming a 100 per cent renewable energy and carbon neutral island-state by 2030,” said Scantlebury.

“Switching to efficient light bulbs can help individuals save money in electricity,” he said.

“For example, replacing 100 incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient LEDs could mean savings of almost $7,000 per year, and it is an investment that can be recovered in just over two months,” he added.

According to a release from the ministry, a study conducted on the Sustainable Energy Framework for Barbados (SEFB) revealed that energy-efficient lighting technologies are among the most viable energy efficiency interventions available, with the shortest payback periods.

“The SEFB study estimates that energy-efficient lighting could represent about a third of potential savings of electricity for residential, commercial and public customers,” it said.

“Modern lighting technology enables the consumption of less energy without compromising brightness or quality.
Energy-efficient lighting is also relatively low in cost and easy to install,” it added.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb