Kerala will ban the sale of both compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and incandescent (filament) bulbs from November, 2020, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac announced in the state budget on Friday. This is part of the government's Filament- Free Kerala Project, initiated in 2018.
Isaac said all street lights and the bulbs in government offices will be replaced with LED bulbs.
Isaac said 2.5 crore LED bulbs have been installed in the state in the past two years.
The government's decision to ban the two types of bulbs aims at curbing environmental hazards as well as reducing energy consumption.
Reasons for the ban
The mercury in a fluorescent bulb can be released as both dust and vapour if the light is broken. This toxic element is dangerous to people and animals and easily migrates through the environment in the air, water, and soil. Incandescent bulbs consume power massively compared to LED.
The state government is implementing the Filament Free Kerala project under the Urja Kerala Mission. It is meant for replacing the entire incandescent lamps & CFLs of domestic consumers in the state by energy efficient LED bulbs. The project is implemented by the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB) and the Energy Management Centre under the power department.
A KSEB spokesperson told Onmanorama that a project to distribute one crore LED bulbs has entered its second stage.
As part of the project, domestic customers will get branded 9 W LED bulbs at a discounted price in comparison to market price. CFLs and incandescent bulbs will be collected back for safe disposal.
According to the KSEB, usage of LED bulbs will cut down electricity bills and cost of LED bulbs will be recovered in a short period.
