By Peter Kanjere, PRO

The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has urged industrial and commercial customers to adopt the usage of Advanced Energy Efficient Lighting Tubes as one way of conserving energy.

ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kamkwamba Kumwenda, made the call on February 7 2023 in Blantyre when the power utility hosted a first regional sensitization meeting for industrial and commercial customers, as part of the second phase of the Advanced Energy Efficient Lighting LED Tube Project.

Mr Kumwenda said the advanced lighting tubes save energy through reduced electricity consumption and freeing up of some for other customers to benefit and reduce load shedding.

Mr Kumwenda said ESCOM was implementing Demand Side Management programmes to ease challenges that arise from a mismatch between increasing electricity demand and low supply.

“ESCOM is currently forced to load shed a daily average of around 80 Megawatts (MW). The situation could have been worse had ESCOM not proactively implemented Demand Side measures,” he said.

“Electricity lighting was estimated to account for around 30 percent of power demand in the country. Lighting is thus a very important aspect of the demand that ESCOM had to consider in addressing electricity demand-capacity gap in the county through public awareness campaigns and direct interventions.”

It is estimated that the Demand Side Management efficient light programme has saved the country more than 48MW taking into account that the use of efficient lighting bulbs has been adopted by local retailers and customers.

In his speech marking the official opening of the regional sensitization meetings, Energy Minister, honourable Ibrahim Matola, said urged the private and public sectors to use the advanced tubes as one way of helping conserve energy.

“Electricity lighting was estimated to account for around 30 percent of power demand in the country. Lighting is thus a very important aspect of the demand that ESCOM had to consider in addressing electricity demand-capacity gap in the county through public awareness campaigns and direct interventions.”

“These very special LED tubes have so many advantages as they help conserve energy thereby contributing to a reduction in load shedding and increasing electricity access in the private and public sectors.”

He said he was pleased that most the government ministries, departments and agencies have led by example by having the old tubes changed to the new tubes in the first phase of the project. Honourable Matola said his Ministry views investments in power generation and Demand Side Management as complementing each other in ensuring that power requirements for the country are quickly met in the most economic manner.

“The Malawi Government, through the Ministry of Energy, has put in place initiates to bridge the demand and capacity gap by promoting efforts in demand side management through customers’ participation / interventions,” he said.

“These initiatives are supported by the Malawi Energy Policy of 2018 which recognizes Demand Side Management as a priority area for the energy sector in Malawi.”

In his earlier presentation, Mr Wiseman Kabwazi, ESCOM Senior Manager (Customer Services and Commercial), highlighted advantages of the advanced energy efficient tubes over fluorescent tubes.

Mr Kabwazi said the advanced efficient lighting tubes save 80 percent of lighting cost, has a lifespan of over 10 years, is affordable and durable.

ESCOM will host similar sensitization meetings in Lilongwe and Mzuzu on February 8 and February 10 2023 to encourage customers to replace fluorescent tubes with the advanced efficient lighting tubes.