During the last few years Energy Saving has become a buzz word in Sri Lanka and the world over with many suppliers coming up with many products which save energy. One of the key products in this area are lights which are a commonly used product worldwide.

The concept of energy saving came into play in Sri Lanka in the late 1980's with the country facing an acute power crisis resulting in the supply of electricity being curtailed for a few hours per day. This was repeated during the latter part of the 90's where a more serious crisis took place. Since, the early 90's energy saving has been taking the centre stage at many national and international forums on energy.

Sri Lanka as a country which was heavily dependent on Hydro Energy was the worst hit and explored all possibilities for alternate sources of energy and energy saving. As the 1st step in this endeavour Sri Lanka took the bold decision of embarking on a strategy to popularize the use of compact fluorescent lamps. The Ceylon Electricity Board, Energy Conservation Fund as it was known then and the University of Moratuwa played a pivotal role in this regard. In 1991 the Ceylon Electricity Board along with the University of Moratuwa launched a pilot project to supply Compact Fluorescent Lamps to a few selected households in the country and since then the use of CFL's have seen a steady increase.

Philips and Hayleys as the leader in the field of Energy Efficient Lighting solutions were involved from the inception of this project. The year 1994 saw the market for CFL's showing a steady growth and consumer acceptance rising. During this period the so called magnetic lamps were the most affordable in the country and since 1995 the new CFL's with electronics came into the market.

During these years it was a daunting task promoting CFL's due to its cost and the payback period and as time went on the prices came down drastically due to mass scale of production.

Today Philips has the widest range of CFL's catering to any segment namely: the entry level, the smallest (compact) to the extra bright. Philips as a company has always strived to give the most efficient lamps to the consumers and this is evident with the wattages it offers. It always strives to save at least 1 watt on a lamp. Even though this might not be that significant for a single lamp, for a house that uses over 10 lamps it could mean a lot. Today we market this full range which gives value for money performance.

What is this Star Rating for CFL's all about?

We have been one of the strong canvassers for the Energy Efficiency ratings in Sri Lanka and the then Demand Side Management unit headed by Mr. M. S. Jayalath was the pioneer in this endeavour. During the period 2003/04 saw the birth of Energy Labeling in Sri Lanka.

This was a voluntary scheme and a few of the brands obtained this, but for some reason did not market this. During this period the country saw the influx of several low quality CFL's from the Far East and since the Energy Rating system was not fool proof several of the low quality products imported too vied for this and several obtained the star ratings. The international brands that were not in a position to offer tailor made lamps to obtain the star rating pulled out of this scheme.

Do you think that this can give an added value to the consumer?

Yes, provided the quality of the lamps are maintained and properly monitored by the controlling body which in this case will be the Sustainable Energy Authority

How do you qualify for the Energy Efficiency or Star Ratings?

There are 2 tests that you need to satisfy the 1st known as the initial test which measures the wattage used and the light output (lumens) with the lamp burning for a 100 hours. The 2nd test is the lumen maintenance test which is the most crucial test where the lamps are supposed to maintain 80% of the rated light output over a period of 2000 hours.

Simply because you have got your initial test right does not mean that your lamp qualifies for the star rating and the 2nd is the test that separates the best from the rest. Whatever lamp we have put out to the market with the Star rating sticker has complied with both these tests. This alone is not enough the Sustainable Energy Authority which is the regulatory body will continuously monitor the lamps in the market to ensure that the performance is maintained.

Will there be many lamps in Sri Lanka which will have the stars?

Initially there may be a few and this will get reduced with the surveillance the Sustainable Energy Authority will carry out on a periodic basis.

What you should look when purchasing a good CFL?

Firstly: the power it consumes, and then the light it gives. If you take a Philips CFL it consumes less power than the rated power consumption on the lamp. This apart from the low wattage the lamp uses to give you the same light output of a comparative lamp which, means you get more light with less electricity consumed.

What's unique about Philips?

As mentioned earlier Philips offers efficiency which is, more light output by using less electricity (watts) then it's the quality of the lamp. The other important feature is the durability, Philips, bulbs lasts longer and that's the reason for Philips to be in the market for over 100 years.

Most of all Philips is more concerned of the environment and all our high wattage CFL's are RoHS compliant. Philips concentrates on the Green revolution and all its products are environmental friendly therefore it's the ideal solution for a country like Sri Lanka.

What's your advice to consumers?

Look at the efficacy of the lamps, is the lamp giving you the light in short does it give you extra brightness for the watts it consumes. Even 1 watt counts look at the number of light points in a house and the days the light is going to be on. This is money and if you make the wise decision when buying the lamp you could be assured of your saving throughout the life of the lamp.

Hayleys has been associated with Philips since 1983 over a period of 27 long years and we have always offered value for money and we shall continue to maintain the same traditions throughout.
G.P.