Transforming the Market Through Replacement Programs

Most countries, including Mexico, have concentrated their efforts on increasing power generation, rather than promoting a better use of existing infrastructure through energy efficiency. Raúl Talán, Director General of FIDE aims to turn this around by working tirelessly to create public policies in energy efficiency that aim to transform the market. In this endeavor, substitution projects are an important tool for introducing new technologies and finally implementing an energy efficiency standard.

One of the most emblematic projects is the removal of inefficient lightbulbs through the enactment of NOM-028- ENER-2010. In Mexico, the domestic sector represents an opportunity for considerable energy savings given that it constitutes 25% of total energy consumption. Of this percentage lighting alone represents 26%, so when contemplating the possibility of homes across Mexico using lightbulbs that consume 75% less energy, the savings could be staggering. The norm was implemented through various stages; the first began with the removal of 100W bulbs in December 2011, followed by 75W in December 2012, and lastly those ranging between 40-60W in December 2014.

To promote the adoption of new technologies, an accompanying project was undertaken called Ahorrate una Luz (Save a Light), where 40 million CFI lights were distributed to localities of up to 100,000 inhabitants, impacting 8 million families. The companies that won the tender were OSRAM with 70%, Philips with 20% and Iluminación Especializada de Occidente with 10%. “This has been the most important replacement program in the world so far. Now, we are focusing on public lighting by helping municipalities across Mexico replace traditional technology with LED,” shares Sergio Villalón, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Philips Lighting Latin America.