Starting from January 30, Ukrainians will be able to exchange five old incandescent light bulbs for the same number of energy-saving LED lamps. The all-Ukrainian programme, aiming to reduce the load on the power grid by replacing incandescent lamps with energy-saving LED lamps in Ukrainian households, was initiated at the end of 2022 by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and supported by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The large-scale replacement of old-type bulbs with energy-saving ones will reduce electricity consumption in the Ukrainian power grid by 7-10% during peak hours.
The Programme is implemented by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s national post, with the support of the European Union. It is being implemented as one of the tools to support Ukraine’s energy system to withstand the energy crisis and ensure a balance of energy consumption during peak hours. According to experts, replacing old-type bulbs, which many Ukrainian households still use, with energy-saving ones will amount to about 1 GW of savings during peak hours, which will help significantly reduce the electricity shortage in the system.
The new EU-funded Programme is part of the European Union’s support for Ukraine’s energy front. As part of the Program, the European Union plans to provide Ukraine with 30 million LED lamps.
Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Economy of Ukraine:
“It was important for us as the Government to fight consistently against the energy crisis. This objective involves several tools. The first one, evidently, is the electricity import from the EU. The second is the one that every Ukrainian can contribute. This is a programme for the population to exchange incandescent lightbulbs for energy-saving LED lamps on a free-of-charge basis. We have a very ambitious goal – to provide Ukrainians with 50 million lightbulbs for free. 30 million has already been supplied by the EU, another 5 million by the Government of France. Once replaced, the 50 million lamps will save about 1 GW of electricity. We are very happy that the EU was there first to support us in this initiative, and we are launching the exchange process today, which will last several months. As of now, Ukrposhta offices already have 6.6 million lamps. By the end of February alone, 20 million lamps will arrive in Ukraine as part of the Programme“.
Ambassador Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine:
“By attacking the Ukrainian energy system and targeting critical civilian infrastructure, Russia is trying to weaponise winter in its war against the Ukrainian people, to make Ukrainians’ lives even harder; to deprive hospitals, emergency services and households of electricity, heat and water. This amounts to a war crime, which cannot remain unpunished. Furthermore, our task is to minimise and overcome the impact of this crime. I am convinced that nothing is too small of a step in this work – and every lightbulb that Ukrainians exchange, will contribute to victory.“
Incandescent light bulbs will be exchanged for new LED lamps at Ukrposhta offices in all regions, stage by stage. In the first stage, LED lamps will be delivered to the regional centers (except for the temporarily occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Simferopol and Sevastopol) that consume the most energy and to Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk and Kryvyi Rih. Then, residents of district centers will be able to join the Programme, and by the end of February, lamps will reach the smallest villages. Only serviceable incandescent light bulbs are accepted for exchange. There will be two exchange options – with or without making a pre-order.
Please read the bulb exchange instructions here: https://svitlo.diia.gov.ua.
Those who have pre-ordered the exchange of bulbs through the Diia app will be able to return the old bulbs and receive new ones at Ukrposhta offices within five business days after receiving confirmation from the Diia mobile app. If the customer does not exchange the bulbs during this time, the application is canceled.
To apply for a light bulb exchange in the Diia app:
- log in to the app
- select the section Services – Light Bulb Exchange
- enter your contact phone number and the Ukrposhta office where you would like to exchange the bulbs
- choose the type and number of LED lamps you want to receive
- You can also exchange bulbs at Ukrposhta offices without registration – in this case, bulbs are exchanged subject to availability.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine:
“Throughout the year, the team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation has been launching the most relevant services during the war. We want Ukrainians to get these services with a few clicks instead of wasting time going to government agencies and queuing up. From now on, Ukrainians can apply for a free exchange of five old incandescent bulbs for five energy-saving LED lamps in the Diia app. And then receive them at an Ukrposhta office. Thus, every Ukrainian will be able to contribute to saving electricity and thus to strengthening Ukraine’s energy security.”
Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta:
“Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Ukrposhta has been a reliable partner of the state and supports it in critical tasks for the sake of our common victory. Reducing the electricity deficit is another important front that the Government, the EU Programme and all Ukrainians must protect with their joint efforts. With the widest network of offices, Ukrposhta allows every citizen to join the Program – both in a big city and the most remote village.“
As a reminder, the Government of Ukraine has approved a programme for the population to exchange incandescent bulbs for LED lamps with the support of the EU. This is stated in the Resolution “On the Implementation of a Pilot Project to Create Favorable Conditions for Ensuring Efficient Electricity Consumption by the Population”, which was adopted at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on January 10, 2023.
Old light bulbs will be recycled in accordance with the rules and international standards.
To learn more about the light bulb exchange programme, please visit www.svitlo.diia.gov.ua.
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