Indian LED lighting programme to save £581m

8th September 2015

A programme announced by India's Ministry of Power will see twenty million traditional light bulbs used in domestic and street lighting in Delhi replaced by LEDs by 2017. The scheme is anticipated to reduce power consumption by 10.5bn kWh per annum, which will equate to a cost saving of approximately £581m.

Public participation is vital as the domestic sector accounts for almost 50% of energy consumption in Delhi and lighting represents a significant portion of that consumption. In order to encourage private household involvement in the LED scheme, which could potentially reduce household energy consumption by 88% (compared to ordinary bulbs), energy providers will subsidise LEDs to allow consumers to purchase them below current market prices.

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, described the LED bulb as a "Prakash Path" - a "way to light" - when he launched the scheme with the replacement of the first bulb with an LED in South Block.