India's LED Program Posts Huge Savings
India's UJALA program has distributed nearly 370 million LED bulbs, resulting in annual energy savings of 47,883 million kWh. The program is also credited with preventing 3.88 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year, demonstrating the massive impact of large-scale residential lighting upgrades.
Launched on January 5, 2015, the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) program was implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector undertaking under India's Ministry of Power. The initiative was designed as the world's largest zero-subsidy domestic lighting program. The program's core strategy involved aggregating demand and bulk procurement to drive down costs. This approach caused the price of a 7-watt LED bulb to plummet from over ₹310 (~$4.22) in 2013 to as low as ₹70 (~$0.84), making energy-efficient technology accessible to millions. This price collapse was pivotal in transforming India's domestic lighting market. Before the UJALA scheme, LEDs constituted less than 1% of the market; the program's scale helped expand domestic manufacturing and grow the market significantly. Beyond energy savings, the program has had a major impact on India's power grid, avoiding an estimated 9,586 MW of peak demand. This reduction in peak load is a critical achievement for grid stability and reduces the need for new power generation capacity. To facilitate adoption, consumers were offered multiple payment options, including paying the subsidized cost upfront or through monthly installments added to their electricity bills, removing the initial cost barrier for low-income households. The UJALA model was complemented by the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), which also launched in 2015. The SLNP focuses on replacing conventional public lighting with LEDs, having already installed over 13 million smart LED streetlights. A subsequent phase called the GRAM UJALA scheme was introduced in March 2021 to target rural areas. This initiative offered 7-watt and 12-watt LED bulbs for a highly subsidized price of just ₹10 (around 12 cents) when exchanging a working incandescent bulb. The success of the UJALA framework has not been confined to India. Its innovative financing and distribution model has been recognized globally and was even implemented in Malacca, Malaysia, in 2017 to promote energy efficiency.
