The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade has launched a campaign to promote the use of energy saving light bulbs; for it, 12,000 sales points across Spain have, available to consumers, a 2x1 pack of light bulbs 14-15 W, 75 W conventional equivalents, at a price of between 3.95 to 3.99 Euro. A total of 1,200,000 units have been distributed.

Cegasa, Imprex and Philips are the companies involved, after the award by public tender procedure conducted by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDEA) in this campaign. Also are responsible for bringing the initiative to the public, who may find clearly identified the promotion in all establishments.

Leaflets have also been published which reflects the main points to consider when getting efficient lighting in our homes. Something desirable if we think that lighting represents one fifth of the electricity consumption in a home and a low energy lamp can save about $ 100 over its lifetime since it consumes 80% less energy, it also lasts between 6 and 8 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

This initiative adds to the Program free distribution of efficient light bulbs 2009-2010 in which citizens are encouraged to exchange, at any post office, vouchers distributed in homes efficient bulbs. With this campaign, which will continue throughout this year we have exchanged about seven million coupons. What a savings of 588 gigawatt hours (GW / h), which are equivalent to the electricity consumption of 147,000 households and represents, in economic terms, a saving of 94 million Euros, and to avoid the emission into the atmosphere of 237,552 tones of CO2.

With such initiatives Spain is ahead of the timelines approved by the European Union to replace incandescent lamps with more efficient lamps. The timetable envisaged by the EU plans to phase out incandescent bulbs from September 2009 and replaced by new efficient models gradually until 2012, the year in which they will market the latest bulbs. The main objective of this legislation, which is part of the European plan to combat climate change and includes the 20% reduction in energy consumption in 2020 is to reduce electricity consumption by households and firms.