THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Don’t throw away your damaged LED bulbs. Getting them repaired can be a more financially prudent and eco-friendly method. With LED bulbs turning popular, the Energy Management Centre, Kerala (EMC) - the nodal agency for energy efficiency initiatives in the state - has come up with a plan to tackle the problem of dumped bulbs. EMC has joined hands with NSS units of higher secondary schools for starting ‘LED repair units’ in a bid to reduce waste and recycle the bulbs.
‘’The idea is that the public can take their defective bulbs to the NSS units in higher secondary schools and get them repaired for a nominal fee,’’ EMC director K M Dhareshan Unnithan said. Both the Kudumbashree and the technical units of NSS had plans to manufacture LEDs, but this, according to the EMC, was financially unviable.
‘’The cost of LEDs has dropped in recent years as they are getting popular. The Kudumbashree will have to sell them at R80 to R90 apiece when they are available at R60 or R70 in the market. Quality will also be an issue. The NSS had approached us with a proposal for manufacturing the LEDs, but we told them the repair and recycling programme was more viable. It will also promote entrepreneurship among children,’’ Dhareshan Unnithan said.
Unlike CFLs and the old incandescent bulbs which have mostly been replaced now, LEDs are easier to repair and the components come at a cheaper price, he said. Agencies in the power sector, including the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have been encouraging the public to ‘shift’ to LEDs as they are miles ahead of other lamps in the matter of energy efficiency. The KSEB has already distributed 1.5 crore LEDs as part of its energy efficiency initiative.
While the life of an incandescent bulb is pegged at 1,000 hours and that of a Compact Fluorescent Lamp at 5,000 hours in the state, an average LED can burn for 15,000 hours.
Energy efficiency label to become mandatory
Star labelling, which denotes the energy efficiency levels of household appliances, is about to become compulsory for LEDs too. The labelling is an initiative of the Union Power Ministry’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to encourage the public to purchase appliances that perform with a higher energy efficiency. Five-star appliances have higher energy efficiency levels.