It will be possible to exchange incandescent bulbs for LED ones in Ukrposhta offices from the end of January

10.01.2023

The government has approved a program for the population to exchange incandescent lamps for LED lamps with the support of the EU. This is stated in the resolution "On the implementation of a pilot project to create favourable conditions for ensuring efficient consumption of electricity by the population", which was adopted at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on January 10, 2023.

According to the resolution, Ukrainians will have the opportunity to exchange five incandescent lamps for five light-emitting diode (LED) lamps of two types of lamp bases E27 and E14. Funding for 30 million LED lamps will be provided by the EU. The program will start at the end of January, and the mass launch will be preceded by beta testing of registration for lamp exchange in the Diia app. After its completion, the project will be launched in the usual mode throughout Ukraine.

The exchange of incandescent lamps for new LED lamps will take place in Ukrposhta offices in stages in all regions. The first batch of 15 million lamps will be delivered gradually over several weeks. First of all, due to the greatest savings effect, regional centers and large cities will be provided. By the end of February, the lamps should reach the smallest villages.

The project is implemented by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ukrposhta with the support of the European Union. It is being implemented as one of the energy efficiency tools that would allow to withstand the energy crisis and ensure the balance of energy consumption during peak hours. Since Russia started shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Ukraine has been experiencing a shortage of electricity generation and distribution. According to NPC Ukrenergo, 40-60% of energy is consumed by households. At the same time, according to the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, private households still use a significant number of incandescent lamps.

The exchange mechanism will be as follows:

  • To do this, you need to be a citizen of Ukraine aged 18 or older, have a passport, RNOKPP and serviceable incandescent lamps for exchange;
  • The mechanism of the program provides that a person brings 5 serviceable incandescent lamps to the Ukrposhta office and exchanges them for new energy-saving lamps with a choice of E27 and E14 sockets;
  • The exchange will take place in two ways - with and without pre-order. If you pre-order lamps through the Diia application, they are guaranteed to be waiting for a person at Ukrposhta offices for five working days after receiving confirmation from the Diia mobile application. If you come without registration, the lamps will be exchanged only if they are available;
  • When applying through the Diia application, you will need to select a branch and provide the necessary information;
  • Some time after submitting the application, the person automatically receives a message from the Diia mobile application on the possibility of receiving LED lamps in the selected post office of JSC "Ukrposhta", the lamps are received by the number of such application;
  • If a person does not pick up the order within 5 working days, it is cancelled.
  • During the exchange, the Ukrposhta records passport data of the person, he or she will not be able to make the exchange for the second time.
  • If a person is unable to order lamps through the Diia application, he or she must come to the Ukrposhta office with a passport, identification code and incandescent lamps no more than 5 pcs. If there are free LED lamps, an exchange will be made.
  • The exchange is made only for serviceable incandescent lamps.
  • If a person at home finds out that one or more of the received diode lamps do not work, he or she will have the opportunity to replace them at the post office with other diode lamps. Such an exchange can be made once, faulty lamps must be returned in the packaging from the manufacturer. The exchange is not possible without packaging.

For reference.
It is expected that the lamp exchange program will promote the use of light-emitting diode (LED) lamps by the population in order to save on electricity consumption and ensure the sustainable balanced functioning of Ukraine's energy system, especially during the energy crisis caused by Russian attacks on critical civilian infrastructure.