The light bulb exchange programme concluded, while the EU continues to strengthen its support for Ukraine’s energy sector

A nationwide programme “Together We Bring Light!”, which offered free exchange of incandescent bulbs for energy-saving ones, has successfully concluded in Ukraine. More than 8 million Ukrainians exchanged a total of 40 million old incandescent bulbs for modern LED bulbs. The programme, initiated at the end of 2022 by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and supported by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was implemented by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and Ukrposhta with the support of the European Union.

The programme launched at the end of January 2023 at Ukrposhta offices in oblast centres and large cities. A week later, Ukrainians were able to exchange bulbs in county-level cities and towns, and two weeks later – in the most remote villages. Thanks to the extensive network of Ukrposhta offices, the exchange of bulbs was organized among a wide range of the population. Later, legal entities such as schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, and homeowners’ associations also joined the programme.

Ukrainians exchanged traditional incandescent bulbs for energy-saving ones, helping the country save electricity. Geographically, Kyiv Oblast led with 4.2 million exchanges, followed by Lviv (3.2 million), Dnipro (3.1 million), and Kharkiv (2.3 million).

Ihor Smilyanskyy, General Director of JSC Ukrposhta:

“From the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrposhta has been assisting Ukrainians and the state where it’s most needed, from evacuations to energy. There is why, recognizing the challenges energy system has faced, we ensured that every Ukrainian could access energy-efficient bulbs. We achieved 100% fulfilment, delivering LED bulbs to even the most remote corners of our country. Thanks to our citizens exchanging 40 million bulbs, we’ve saved approximately 2 GW of energy capacity, equivalent to the capacity of two nuclear power units.”

40 million LED bulbs were provided to Ukraine by the European Union as part of an EU-funded program to support the Ukrainian energy sector.”

Nadiia Bihun, Deputy Economy of Ukraine:

“Energy efficiency is not just about adopting EU standards; it’s about our survival amidst constant attacks on our energy infrastructure. Every kilowatt saved is precious. “Together We Bring Light!” programme is a simple yet vital step the EU has helped Ukrainians make towards achieving energy efficiency. We’ve reduced incandescent bulbs by 40 million, potentially saving up to 1 GW of electricity. We are deeply grateful to all EU countries for their solidarity with Ukraine. This support is very important for us. It underscores that Ukraine is part of the great European family. Together, we’ll overcome the toughest challenges.”

Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine:

The “Together We Bring Light!” programme demonstrated the unity of Ukrainians and their determination to resist the Russian aggressor, both on the front lines and at home, by any means necessary, even the smallest. It has also demonstrated the European Union’s rapid and effective response to Ukraine’s urgent needs during the wartime, highlighting energy as a vital strategic necessity. The EU is taking every possible measure to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the most difficult conditions ahead of winter”.

Ukrainians had the opportunity to exchange up to 5 incandescent bulbs for the same number of LED bulbs either at Ukrposhta offices or by placing a pre-order in the Diia application.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology – Minister of Digital Transformation:

“During the full-scale war, we’ve launched numerous services in Diia to make people’s lives easier, including the Bulb Exchange. With just a few clicks, Ukrainians could order the exchange, helping reduce the load on the energy system. As a result, Ukrainians exchanged 40 million bulbs, including 4 mn by pre-ordering them in the Diia app, making a significant contribution to improving the situation with power supply. We are grateful to the European Union for their cooperation and continued support in the energy sector.”

As a reminder, in 2022, after massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Ukraine faced a shortage of power generation and distribution capacity. To increase energy efficiency and balance energy consumption during peak hours, the government, with the support of the EU, approved a program for the population to exchange incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs.

At the same time, the EU continues its systemic support for Ukraine and its energy sector. Given the challenging situation in the energy sector, the European Union plans to expedite the delivery of over 1,000 generators from the rescEU strategic reserves to Ukraine, along with 15,000 solar panels through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA), established in March 2022, is actively facilitating the delivery of specialized energy equipment, fuel, and materials needed to restore Ukraine’s infrastructure damaged by Russia’s war of aggression. To date, the group has facilitated 144 in-kind donations and delivered over 5,600 tons of energy equipment from more than 100 donors across 24 countries to Ukraine.

NEC “Ukrenergo” has secured €15 million in grant funds from the European Union through the German Development Bank KfW for the reconstruction of substations following massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

These are just a few examples of the joint work of the EU and Ukraine to support and meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian energy sector. You can learn more about the European Union’s support for Ukraine’s energy sector in times of war on the website, as well as on the pages of the EU Delegation to Ukraine on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/Х.

Media contact:

Tetiana Voronina, Media Expert, ‘Communicating the European Union for Ukrainians’ (CEU4U), an EU-funded project implemented by Ecorys, tvoronina9@gmail.com, +38 067 501 11 83