THE GOVERNMENT is set to waste hundreds of thousands of euros on outdated light bulbs after inviting tenders for thousands of fluorescent, rather than low energy and longer lasting LED lights.
The tender, which calls for 23,600 various shaped and sized bulbs for government premises, is due in December, but it includes no provision for the more eco friendly bulbs, which consume less than a third of the power of conventional bulbs and last more than three times longer.
According to one LED lighting retailer, the tender is a wasted opportunity for the government to reduce its carbon footprint and save hundreds of thousands of euros in electricity prices and maintenance costs every year.
Even if the government switches just one type of bulb types to LED, for example to a 600mm bulb of which 15,000 are requested in the tender, the government could save €213,500 in electricity costs per annum: and that is assuming electricity prices remain at today’s levels.
There is one downside to LED bulbs: Initially, the government would be required to spend around nine times more per unit (€28 compared to €3) but over the course of the whole of the average 600mm LED bulb’s 20 years lifespan, potentially save more than €4 million.
Asked why they were not making the switch now, finance ministry procurement officer Tatiana Fala said there were concerns within the government’s electrical and mechanical service (EMS), which supplies the technical specifications for the tender, about the quality of LED technology.
“We do have (LED lights) in mind and we may introduce them next year, but now they are very new technology” said Fala, adding that there were few LED providers in Cyprus and a tendering process would therefore not be competitive. “We don’t want to give out a tender for just one or two companies.”
However, one supplier of green electrical lighting dismissed the finance ministry’s claims, saying that Limassol Municipality’s recent tender for LED Christmas lights attracted “six or seven” LED suppliers.
Asked about the reliability of LEDs, he said they last on average 50,000 hours – or around 20 years based on a 250 day working year – compared with fluorescent’s lifespan of 15,000 hours (6 years).
LEDs could benefit the government in other ways too: “Apart from saving money, and reducing electricity consumption, there are also other benefits to the use of LEDs. These include the obvious reduction in their carbon footprint, but also in the environmental issue of disposing of fluorescent tubes which contain mercury and therefore require special handling.”
He added: “Additionally the effort required to replace the LEDs is less than a third of that for fluorescents due to the much longer lifespan of LEDs.”
