Switch to low energy bulbs

Dubai: Efficient light bulbs have been made more affordable in order to encourage homeowners to 'Make The Switch' between traditional bulbs to energy efficient ones, as part of a campaign to conserve energy in the UAE.

The UAE-based initiative launched by Ecobility Energy Solutions is backed by Nakheel to make residents more conscious of energy consumption and efficient usage.

According to Ecobility, traditional light bulbs known as an incandescent bulbs create a lot of heat which in turn produces light.

"The problem with incandescent bulbs is that creating heat wastes a lot of electricity - about 90 per cent of what they consume."

"Heat is not light and since the purpose of the light bulb is light, all of the energy used creating heat is wasted. Even more worrying is that the wasted electricity results in increased carbon emissions which in turn speed up climate change," it says on their website, wwwmaketheswitch.ae.

'Make The Switch' aims to introduce 1 million Illume Energy Efficient Bulbs into homes by lowering their price thanks to contributions made by Nakheel who is subsidising the retail price of the bulbs

Karim Aly, managing partner and co-founder of Ecobility said the campaign hopes to alert people on ways to have a sustainable lifestyle by making access to alternative solutions available.

Sustainable lifestyle

"We're hopeful the lightbulbs will sell as quickly as possible so people can embrace a sustainable lifestyle as quickly as possible... in the future we will conduct a few more campaigns maybe on energy or water," Aly told Gulf News. Lighting typically makes up 15 to 20 per cent of household electricity bills.

Switching from traditional light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs is an effective, accessible change every UAE resident can make to reduce energy use at home and prevent carbon emissions that contribute significantly to climate change.

The bulbs are available for Dh10 for a twin pack at all Emarat petrol stations.

Since early November, more than 5,000 packs of bulbs have been bought which is an energy saving of 2,521,080 kilo-watts per hour.

Replacing just two 60-watt bulbs in your home will prevent more than 500 kilogrammes of poisonous Co2 from being emitted and save you around Dh200 on your bill.

Illume Energy Efficient Bulbs consume less than a quarter of the power compared to regular incandescent bulbs to give out the same amount of light.

They also last 10 times longer and give off 70 percent less heat on average.

We're hopeful the lightbulbs will sell as quickly as possible so people can embrace a sustainable lifestyle as quickly as possible."

Karim Aly

Co-founder, Ecobility

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- Efficient light bulbs decrease electricity consumption by over 470,000,000 kwh - enough to power a small country for a whole year.

- Prevent over 300,000 tonnes of carbon emissions - equivalent to taking 55,000 cars off UAE roads.

- Save over Dh100 million in electricity and bulb replacement costs - leading to more money in our pockets to spend in more pleasant ways.

- Avoid around 9 million incandescent light bulbs from entering household waste and ending up in landfills over the next 5 years.

(source:www.maketheswitch.ae)

By Emmanuelle Landais Staff Reporter

Dubai With the rise of electronic working environments the paperless office was a nice thought - using less paper therefore less resources and protecting our environment.

However according to research commissioned by printer company Lexmark, small to medium-sized businesses say they are printing more.

Conducted by Ipsos, the survey questioned more than 1,400 companies and found that over half think office paper wastage causes the biggest impact on the environment yet good intentions are not being put into practice.

Sylvie Thomas, marketing environment manager at Lexmark believes sustainability is all about finding the right compromise between Profit, planet protection and social welfare. "When a company see financial benefits into engaging change towards sustainability, making necessary changes are easier than only doing it for the sake of the environment," she told Gulf News.

Apparently the volume of documents printed has increased compared to two years ago. Just 17 per cent of companies reported a reduction in the number of printed pages. Half of the companies say they have an environmental strategy in place. To reduce their impact on the environment, they say they are ready to commit to switching off electronic equipment, recycling cartridges, and reading documents on screen instead of on paper.

With the fast-paced development and activity in the UAE, the electricity usage is on the rise. However, a UAE-based company is trying to make a difference by launching a campaign to conserve energy.

Maketheswitch.ae is an online initiative to increase awareness and promote the benefits of energy conservation and efficiency.

Ecobility Energy Solutions launched the initiative in order to encourage residents to lead sustainable lifestyles by using energy-saving light bulbs.

The special bulbs guarantee a reduction in electricity consumption and their carbon footprint. Additionally, residents would be able to save up on their electricity bills.

The company promises a reduction in the price of the energy efficient bulbs during the campaign. The initiative is the brainchild of several individuals and companies who have worked hard and dedicated a lot of time to this cause. However, in order to make it work, it is important for people to know how to safely and responsibly put the bulbs to good use.

- By Rabab Khan,

Community Journalist