A Metro Manila lawmaker is urging his colleagues in the House of Representatives to support the measure he introduced urging government offices to refrain from further using incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tube bulbs and compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) bulbs and instead switch to Light Emitting Diode (LED) tube bulbs to lower electric bills.
Rep. Edwin Olivarez (1st District, Parañaque City), author of House Bill 6892 to be known as the “LED Light Savings Act of 2013,” said the use of LED lights will not only promote government efficiency but at the same time, actively protect the environment by not using products that contain mercury or cause high carbon dioxide emissions.
“LED lights do not contain mercury, a chemical used to run CFL bulbs which were identified as a toxic metal associated with contamination of water, fish and food supplies, and can lead to adverse health effects. They lead to the least amount of carbon dioxide emissions,” Olivarez said.
Olivarez added the LED lights do not cause heat build-up, which makes the air-conditioning system work more efficiently.
The amount of money the government can save, he said, can be channeled to finance other social programs.
Olivarez said the use of LED technology in lighting fixtures and light bulb are fast gaining popularity. LEDs are small, very efficient solid bulbs and were limited to single-bulb use in applications such as instrument panels, electronics, penlights and more recently, strings of indoor and outdoor Christmas lights.
“In time, manufacturers have expanded the application of LEDs by ‘clustering’ or grouping together small bulbs. The first clustered bulbs were used for battery-powered items such as flashlights and headlamps. Today, LED bulbs are made using as many as 180 bulbs per cluster and are encased in diffuser lenses, which spread the light in wider beams. They are now the next generation in home lighting and eventually office lighting,” Olivarez said.
Olivarez noted that compared to the fluorescent tube bulbs or the CFLs often used in homes and offices, LED lights emit more efficient light, as they use only 2 to 17 watts of electricity, thus saving almost 70% in energy consumption.
“Besides, they are more durable and can withstand jarring and bumping and has a lifespan of 50,000 hours, compared to the CFL lifespan of 8,000 hours,” Olivarez added.