Demand for compact fluorescent lamps may continue to grow

MANILA, Philippines - The demand for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) may continue to grow as businesses find ways to post electricity savings, an official of a multinational lighting and electronics firm said yesterday.

RJ Buenaventura, country marketing manager of Philips Electronics & Lighting Inc. said corporations are now becoming aware of the advantages of switching to CFL from incandescent bulbs that consumes more electricity.

“To be honest, we have seen it (demand) going up for the past two years already. I think the market understands that in the long run, using compact fluorescent lamps would entail less costs,” Buenaventura said during a briefing on energy efficiency in Makati.

“It is all double digit growth for the past two to three years. I think the market is already experiencing double digit growth on compact fluorescent lamps,” he added.

Buenaventura declined to cite figures but believes that the CFL market can sustain such growth this year.

“To give you an idea, the CFL (market) may pose a double digit (growth). As for the incandescent (bulbs), we see it slowly declining,” he said.

“We have done focused group studies and research. People are buying not because of climate change but because of business sense. They know that they would post savings. They have yet to link this to power savings or mitigating climate change,” he added.

Buenaventura said the retail price of an incandescent bulb ranges from P20 to P27 depending on the wattage. On the other hand, the price of a CFL ranges from P132 to P150.

He, however, noted that such costs would be recovered because CFLs are more energy efficient.

“You can have around 80 percent savings on lighting point. If you compare a 23 watt (CFL) versus a 100 watt (incandescent), your savings would redound to roughly P100 – P150 in a month and a half. After that, you have already recovered the costs,” Buenaventura said.

Olivier Piccolin, Philips vice president and chief commercial officer, said shifting to more efficient energy solutions like CFL can help mitigate the impact of power shortage in areas like Mindanao.

“There is an immediate opportunity to leverage the latest lighting technologies to light up Asian cities and make them more iconic, efficient and energy effective,” he said.

For his part, architect Felino Palafox cited the need to reeducate the public about the importance of energy efficiency.  

“By migrating to the latest efficient lighting technologies, city planners will be able to improve the cities’ landscape, enhance public safety and comfort and better manage energy consumption in the Philippines,” Palafox added.

In a statement, Philips said while thousands of families already have access to CFLs, many more need to be reached, especially those in areas undergoing massive urbanization.