GEA to distribute energy efficient lights to 500 households

In keeping with the nation’s Green State Development Strategy, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) has commenced the distribution of energy efficient lights to 500 vulnerable households.

According to a GEA press release yesterday, this activity is being executed under the second phase of the Latin America and the Caribbean Energy Efficiency Programme (PALCEE) supported by the Austrian Development Cooperation and the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE).

The programme which began in May 2019 and concludes in December 2019, entails the distribution of a total of 2,000 energy efficient LED lights in the residential sector, specifically targeting the distribution and installation at low income areas and to beneficiaries from a vulnerable social group to demonstrate its derived socio-economic and environmental benefits.

According to Shevon Wood, Head of the Energy and Energy Statistics Division of the GEA, “The project is in accordance with the objectives of the Green State Development Strategy and the National Energy Policy which generally aims to, among other things, increase end-use energy conservation and efficiency in the residential sector, curtail greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector and minimise the foreign exchange cost of energy to the national economy.”

Wood explained that the criterion that was established to identify the recipient households was that the beneficiary must be a pensioner or disabled person who receives public assistance from the Government. She added that the Ministry of Social Protection was consulted and provided a population list from which a sample was drawn from each of the 10 administrative regions. From the data obtained, and based on the number of lights provided under the PALCEE project, a quota of 4 lights per household was set for distribution which amounted to a total of 500 beneficiaries.

In an effort to ensure that all of the lights will be installed and that they are used for their intended purpose, the GEA has undertaken to install the lights through house to house visits.

The LED lights will be distributed to the regions as follows: Region 1, 57; Region 2, 13; Region 3, 98; Region 4, 190; Region 5, 27; Region 6, 32; Region 7, 30; Region 8, 22; Region 9, 5; and Region 10, 26.