Ecobility Launches ‘Make the Switch’ Initiative to Promote Energy Efficiency and Reduce UAE’s Carbon Footprint

Ecobility Energy Solutions LLC, the UAE's pioneer in private sector sustainability solutions, today launched the ‘Make the Switch' initiative, a nationwide call to embrace energy efficient lighting as a step towards conserving the country's energy resources and reducing its carbon footprint.

Ecobility's initiative complements the move by several nations to ban conventional light bulbs worldwide. It aims to introduce 1,000,000 ILLUME Energy Efficient light bulbs into UAE homes, replacing conventional incandescent bulbs that are known to significantly escalate carbon emissions. The Illume light bulbs will be available at all Emarat petrol stations nationwide at an introductory price of AED10 for a pack of two bulbs.

Energy efficient bulbs consume less than a quarter of the power compared to incandescent bulbs and, on an average, each Illume bulb prevents 280kg of CO2 emissions. Lasting 10,000 hours, which is 10 times longer than standard bulbs, they emit 70 per cent less heat, keeping room temperatures down leading to the added benefit of less power usage for air conditioning.

The ‘Make the Switch' initiative is being championed with the aid of various partners and supporters who have wholeheartedly embraced the cause, anchored by Nakheel. The real estate major is subsidizing the price of the light bulbs to help make the initial switch as effortless as possible for the residents of the UAE.

Expanding on the benefits of the programme, Wadah Abusin and Karim Aly, Founders and Managing Partners of Ecobility, said: "Once the million-bulb target is reached, the UAE would be saving over 100 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, reducing the pressure on power providers and saving residents about AED20 million in electricity cost every year.

"The CO2 emissions thus prevented, amounting to over 60,000 tonnes, would be equivalent to taking approximately 12,000 cars off the road.  Moreover, over the lifetime of the Illume bulbs, approximately nine million conventional light bulbs would have otherwise been used, which will ultimately lead to less domestic waste in our landfills."

Commending the initiative, Chris O'Donnell, CEO of Nakheel, said: "For the UAE to sustain its incredible success story, we must optimize resource consumption, especially with continued growth resulting in higher demands. The first step is the reduction of use, and this does not always have to come with a compromise to our quality of life. The initiative will demonstrate how easy it truly is to care for the environment through making small, incremental changes that have a significant impact when viewed in aggregate.

"We are delighted to partner with Ecobility with the aim of encouraging energy conservation and consequently reducing the UAE's carbon footprint. The initiative is an ideal step in the right direction, allowing us to reduce energy use, prevent emissions, and create substantial savings for the residents of the UAE."

Ecobility is fully dedicated to catalyzing change in regional sustainable development by engaging in the origination, development and commercialization of technologies across three verticals: renewable energy, resource conservation and sustainable buildings.