Kerala State Electricity Board to distribute LED lights under two energy efficiency programmes

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has devised a strategy to get rid of thousands of unsold LED lights that were supposed to be given away as part of two energy-saving initiatives. 

The state-run electricity company claims that 2.19 lakh of the 1.17 crore 9 watt LED bulbs that were purchased as part of the Filament Free Kerala initiative are still unsold. Moreover, 81,000 LED bulbs that were purchased for the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) and distributed throughout the several KSEB offices are still in "good condition." 

LED bulbs were given out by the KSEB for ₹65 each as part of the Filament Free Kerala initiative, which was started a few years ago. However, the KSEB noted that "this might lead to a situation where most of the remaining LED bulbs will continue as dead stock across various sections/circle stores" because the average market rate for the bulbs has significantly decreased. 

The KSEB is dealing with a different issue with the DELP scheme LEDs as their three-year warranty period ended in 2020 and it is no longer recommended to sell the bulbs. After the GST rollout, the price of these bulbs was changed from their original ₹60 per bulb to ₹65.

The KSEB management has now made the decision to give away one Filament Free Kerala bulb with every two LEDs purchased at a price of ₹65 each. According to a recent KSEB order, the DELP program bulbs would be given away for free to government hospitals, Anganwadis, and KSEB offices "to clear out the stock." When new electricity customers connect, they will also receive two bulbs free of charge under the DELP initiatives.