From March to June, the Chilean government handed out 351,132 low-consumption electric lightbulbs to 175,566 families in six regions of the country as part of a national energy-saving program with a budget of 5.6 million dollars. Replacing 1.5 million standard lightbulbs with the efficient bulbs saves 138 gigawatts/hour of electricity per year, equivalent to 34.4 million dollars, Andrés Romero, director of the national energy efficiency program, told Tierramérica.

On Jun. 17, the Santiago Metropolitan Region plan was launched and is expected to conclude in September countrywide with the distribution of 1.5 million compact fluorescent bulbs to 750,000 families of the 40 percent poorest in the country.

Each family receives a coupon by mail for exchanging two incandescent bulbs for two fluorescent bulbs.