Key Highlights
- Launched on 5 January 2015, the UJALA programme has supplied 36.87 crore LED lamps by January 2025.
- Annual household electricity savings totalled roughly ₹19,153 crore.
- LED distribution lowered peak demand by over 1,500 MW and cut CO₂ emissions by 6.2 million tonnes per year.
- Parallel Street Lighting National Programme installed 1.34 crore LED streetlights, saving 9,001 million units annually.
Detailed Insights
The UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) initiative, jointly managed by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and state distribution utilities, replaced incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting with low‑cost LED alternatives. By subsidising the retail price to about ₹70 per bulb, ₹220 per tube light, and ₹1,110 per energy‑saving fan, the scheme eliminated the primary barrier of high upfront cost. A 7 W LED now produces the same luminance as a 14 W CFL or a 60 W incandescent lamp, delivering up to 90 % energy savings versus the latter and 50 % versus the former. Consumers therefore use only one unit of electricity for roughly 140 hours of operation, compared with two units for a CFL and nine units for an incandescent bulb. The cumulative effect has been a dramatic reduction in household electricity bills, a substantial fiscal benefit for Indian families, and a measurable decline in national carbon output.
Beyond the domestic sphere, the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) leveraged a similar financing model, with EESL front‑loading capital costs and recovering them through structured payments from urban local bodies. By early 2025, more than 1.34 crore LED streetlights illuminated public thoroughfares, curbing peak‑load strain and delivering further environmental dividends. Together, UJALA and SLNP have catalysed a market shift, with LED sales soaring to 407.92 crore units nationwide, positioning India as a global exemplar of large‑scale energy‑efficiency deployment.
Key Concepts
- Energy‑efficient lighting: Illumination technology that delivers the required luminous output while consuming markedly less electrical power than conventional sources.
- Up‑front subsidy: Financial assistance provided at the point of purchase to lower the initial price of a product, thereby accelerating market adoption.
- Peak‑demand reduction: Decrease in the highest level of electricity consumption within a given period, alleviating stress on the power grid.
- Carbon footprint mitigation: The process of lowering total greenhouse‑gas emissions attributable to an activity or sector.