The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine has analysed the demand from the population under the incandescent to LED light bulb exchange programme and states that the immediate need of households has been almost met. Therefore, the second wave of the project will start in the near future and will expand to new consumption segments. These are still the needs of the population, but now to satisfy needs in educational and healthcare institutions. This was announced by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

"I am grateful to all Ukrainians who have joined the lamp exchange programme aimed at reducing electricity consumption. Since the start of the programme, 4 million Ukrainians have exchanged 20 million light bulbs. But our goal is to replace about 50 million incandescent bulbs to reduce the burden on the country's energy system," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

In this regard, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is conducting a general communication campaign with regional military administrations on the possibility of legal entities, namely heads of healthcare and educational institutions, to participate in the Programme. Citizens can still exchange their lamps according to the previously approved procedure at Ukrposhta branches that continue to participate in the programme.

"I would like to join First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko in thanking all Ukrainians who have participated and are still participating in the LED light bulb exchange programme. Together with the tireless work of Ukraine's defenders protecting civilian infrastructure, energy workers, and international support, these efforts have helped Ukraine get through the winter. russia failed to plunge Ukraine into cold and darkness, and it will not succeed in doing so in the future. I am pleased to see that the programme extends cooperation to state institutions, as energy saving will remain extremely important," said Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

The programme is open to not only kindergartens, schools, vocational schools or universities, but also sports and music schools, driving schools and any other educational institutions. Also, any polyclinics and hospitals, dental clinics, laboratories and other medical institutions will have an opportunity to exchange lamps.

Each of the above-mentioned legal entities received the right to exchange

• 3 lamps per 10 sq. m. in classrooms, teachers' rooms, wards, treatment rooms;
• 2 lamps per 10 sq. m. for public areas.

To exchange a lamp, a request for LED lamps must first be sent via the Diia portal. To do this, one needs to

• log in to the Diia portal using the legal entity's QES (qualified electronic signature);
• check the information about the company;
• go to the Services section and select Light bulb exchange and start filling out the request;
• indicate the area in the calculator to see the limit and select the number and types of lamps within the limit;
• tick the box that you agree to hand over the same number of incandescent lamps;
• indicate the location of the organisation;
• verify and confirm the data provided in the request;
• sign the request with the legal entity's QES.

After submitting the application, within a week, Ukrposhta representatives will contact the specified phone number and provide further instructions for receiving the energy-saving lamps.

The recipients of LED lamps will be obliged to hand over the corresponding number of incandescent lamps to local authorities for further disposal.

Background.

The light bulb exchange programme is supported by the European Union in response to the call of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and Ukrposhta in all regions of Ukraine, except for the combat zone and temporarily occupied territories. The EU-funded programme is part of the European Union's support for the Ukrainian energy front as one of the energy efficiency tools that will help to balance energy consumption during peak hours.