Some electrical shops in Accra are consuming electric energy unwisely as they switch on numerous bulbs at the same time as a way of marketing their products.
A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in the national capital on Wednesday, indicated that some of the shops switch on numerous coloured bulbs, irrespective of the time of the day, as a way of attracting customers.
The survey found out that the wattage of the bulbs in question ranged from nine watts to 125 watts depending on the sizes.
The prices of bulbs on the market range from GHC5.00 to GHC18.00, based on the type, size and wattage at most of the shops the GNA visited.
In an interview, Mr Isaac Kyere, a shop attendant at Claws Electricals, at Lapaz, said “we display all the coloured bulbs being sold in our shops to attract customers and we switch on only two big bulbs during the day and 14 bulbs in the evening to brighten the shop”.
“We know the white bulbs do not consume a lot of energy that is why we light such bulbs in our shop”, he said, adding that, “we have stopped selling the fluorescent bulbs because customers no longer purchase them”.
At the “Thank You Jesus” Electrical shop, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the shop owner, Mr Stephen Ankomah, said he displays the coloured bulbs only in the evenings to help customers to choose from the variety. “what they see is what they buy”.
Ms. Ruth Njoku, a worker at an electrical shop at South La Market said, “I only light one bulb during the day and three in the evening”.
The survey also revealed that shop owners earn less income nowadays compared to the past.
“It is hard to get more than GHC 30.00 after a hard day’s work this year as compared to last year”, Mr Emmanuel Agyei, an electrical shop owner at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle said.
The Survey covered areas such as the Tema Station, Adabraka, Abeka, Kaneshie, Accra New Town, Teshie, Nungua, Abelenkpe, Accra Central and Osu.
It also came to light that some of the electrical shops use rechargeable lamps while others use car batteries to provide the energy they need because of their low income.
The GNA also visited the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), near the Tema Station, where Mr Richard Mensah of the Marketing Department advised consumers to use electricity wisely to save money since the tariffs for electricity is rising.
The Department presented the chat below to educate consumers of electricity on how to save and use power more efficiently.
Appliance No of hours Watts
Rice Cooker 1 hour 15 minutes 800
Washing Machine 1 hour 1000
Iron 1 hour 1000
Hair Dryer 1 hour 1000
Heat 1 hour 1000
Air Conditioner 40 minutes 1500
Kettle 30 minutes 2000
Microwave 30 minutes 2000
Electric Cooker 7 minutes 8500