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Cuban Light Bulb project goes to St. Thomas

April 20, 2011

The Full Story

KINGSTON — From April 19 to 20, residents of western St. Thomas will be able to exchange their high-energy consuming incandescent bulbs for low-energy fluorescent lamps, as the final phase of the Cuba-Jamaica Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Project moves to that section of the parish.

The distribution exercise has been underway in the parish since Friday April 15, with residents of the eastern communities of Port Morant, Golden Grove and Bath benefitting.

Principal Director for Policy in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Oral Rainford, told JIS News that the project had been to St. Thomas during its initial phase, but the parish “presented some challenges” and therefore a decision was taken to re-visit it.  

He said that this distribution exercise, “will give residents, over a wide area of the parish, an opportunity to take in their regular bulbs, which are high-energy users and replace them with the fluorescent bulbs, which will reduce their light bills overtime."

The distribution team will operate from the following locations in western St. Thomas:

§  MorantBay– Anglican Church Hall – April 19   10:00am – 4:00pm

§  Seaforth – York Community Centre – April 19   2:00am – 4:00pm

§  CedarValley- Cedar Valley Court House – April 20  11:00am – 4:00pm

§  Llandewey – RADA Office – April 20   10:00am – 4:00pm

§  Yallahs – Yallahs Baptist Church – April 20   10:00am – 4:00pm

The Cuba-Jamaica Compact Fluorescent Lamp Project, commonly called the Cuban light bulb distribution programme, involves the replacement of high-energy incandescent lamps in private residences and public buildings, with energy saving CFLs donated by the Government of Cuba, at no charge to recipients.

The move is in keeping with Government’s thrust towards greater energy efficiency in the island to reduce the national oil bill, and to encourage energy awareness among Jamaicans.

Initially launched in 2006, the project was restarted on March 26, to facilitate the distribution of some 160,000 CFLs. More than 30 communities have benefitted since March.  At the end of the current distribution phase, closure would have been brought to the project, which has already seen disbursement of more than 2.8 million CFLs islandwide.

Jesus Diaz Camargo and Carlos Collado Martinez, representatives from the Ministry of Basic Industries of the Government of Cuba, who have been at several of the distribution centres, have expressed pleasure with the process.

The distribution of the fluorescent lamps is expected to have a significant impact on the national energy bill. Persons have been swopping incandescent bulbs of wattage of up to 150 watts in exchange for 14-watt fluorescent lamps, which give as much luminance as a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

 

By O. RODGER HUTCHINSON, JIS PR Officer

Last Updated: August 9, 2013

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