The ban on importation and local manufacture of incandescent filament lamps takes effect from January next year, Mr Ernest Asare, Executive Director of the Energy Foundation, has announced. He explained that the ban draws its powers from the Energy Efficiency Regulations 2008, Legislative Instrument 1932, adding that, failure to comply would result in a summary conviction to a fine of not more than 250 penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than 12 months or both. Additionally, he said the importation, offer for sale or distribution of used air-conditioners, used refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and or freezers would be banned. He said this has become necessary to conserve energy for national development because such appliances consume unreasonably high amounts of energy, which have become very expensive to produce. Mr Asare made the announcement at an Energy Conservation Forum, organised by the Northern Accelerated Intervention for Development (NAID), a Northern-sector based NGO, in collaboration with the Energy Foundation at the Jackson Park, in Tamale on Monday. The forum, which was on the theme: "Controlling Your Energy Cost," was to educate consumers to adopt responsible energy-efficient practices to save money and avoid illegal connections to help develop an energy efficiency economy. Mr Asare observed that even though the use of the incandescent bulbs had declined, there was the need to enforce the ban to ensure that such appliances did not find their way onto the local market. He advised consumers against the use of these appliances to enable them to have control over their electricity bills as well as to conserve their resource for national development. Mr Mohammed Saani Iddrisu, Executive Director of NAID, said it was important that consumers became conscious of how they used electric power and its implications on the national economy. He said the socio-economic activities of the nation hinged on electric power, explaining there was, therefore, the need to ensure efficient use of the resource to ensure its regular and uninterrupted supply for economic prosperity. Source: GNA