CARICOM Energy Programme Manager sheds light on phase-out of incandescent bulbs

Listen as Dr. Devon Gardner, Programme Manager, Energy at the CARICOM Secretariat, provides details on the phase-out of the use of incandescent bulb in the Region.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) earlier this month announced that it would be phasing out the use of incandescent bulbs in the Region. A decision to develop a phase-out programme for the bulbs was taken at a Meeting of CARICOM Energy Ministers. The Meeting was held at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, on 19 April, 2018.

On the basis of a mandate from the CARICOM Energy Ministers, plans for the phase‑out are now being developed by the CARICOM Secretariat and the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and are expected to be completed in September 2018.

The programme will include a roadmap to reduce the import and sale of incandescent light bulbs within the Region, and will guide and support countries in the establishment of regulations and actions for the phasing out exercise. If all goes according to the plan, incandescent bulbs will gradually be phased-out as energy efficiency standards for lighting are phased-in. The phase-out schedule could begin as early as January 2019 with the 100 watt incandescent bulbs, with further restrictions on smaller lamp sizes entering into force in incremental stages over a number of years.