[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’ Solar streetlights to curb power pilfering?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=”]
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – The city government plans to use solar-powered light-emitting diodes (LED) for all streetlights.
Solar-powered LED lights are energy-efficient and this will save the city government millions of pesos in electricity bills, said Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog yesterday.
But there’s another advantage – it will curb power pilfering, he said.
“If there are no more streetlights using electricity, there will be no more illegal connections on the city’s power lines,” said Mabilog.
Illegal connections can cause fire, he warned, citing the blaze that gutted 56 houses in Barangay Lopez Jaena Norte, La Paz district on Sunday.
The city government is paying some P7 million monthly for streetlights, said Mabilog.
“In the P7 million, only around P2 million are actually for the streetlights’ electricity consumption. The rest are due to power pilfering,” Mabilog said.
With solar-powered LED streetlights, the city government can save some P84 million each year, he said.
“If the life of a solar-powered LED light is 10 years, then our savings could reach P518 million,” the mayor added.
Meanwhile, initial investigation showed there was power pilfering and electrical short circuit due to overloading in the Barangay Lopez Jaena Norte fire.
“We were able to recover electrical installations or wirings nga may evidence of short circuit. Ang ini nga balay (origin of the fire) waay sang electric meter. Obviously, ang iya nga source of electricity was illegal,” said City Fire Marshal Jerry Candido.
Firefighters discovered what Candido said were wires used to illegally tap electricity./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
