Prime Minister's faulty arithmetic

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the average use of energy-saving bulbs would neutralise the increase in the power tariffs for households. This was his reaction to opposition criticism of the new tariffs when he spoke in Parliament about the budget.

He said the new tariffs had been introduced on the principle that everybody paid for their consumption, and subsidies which encouraged waste should be removed. He said that the new power tariffs would mean an increased outlay of between €0.85 and €1.45 per week for most domestic account holders. However, using energy saving bulbs for five hours per day, according to him, would save a family €175 per year.

According to our Prime Minister, experts had confirmed that using energy-saving bulbs - which the government would hand out - would reduce the impact of the new tariffs to zero.

Dr Gonzi's statement was more categorical than that. He had in fact compared the cost of using one conventional bulb and one energy saving bulb for five hours per day.

He clearly tried to assert that the use of one energy-saving bulb would give a saving of €175 per year.

The Times report made no mention of the fact that only after the Opposition members jeered Dr Gonzi's statement did members of his backbenchers pinch his attention that the increase of €1.45 per week will apply on each family member and not on each family.

Irrespective of the reduced cost of using energy savings bulbs one cannot assume a five-hour per day use (1800-2300) as, in the majority of cases, people would be watching television for the best part of that time and the light would be out.

Lighting bulbs takes up little consumption compared to the use of other domestic appliances. Washing machines, electric irons, ovens, heaters, air-conditioners, microwave ovens, electric kettles and other appliances and white goods are the real energy engulfing catalyst.

When we hear a high power propagandist, like our Prime Minister, trying to derail public opinion from the negative impact of the budget with deceptive mathematical comparisons, it becomes clearer that our country needs the change now.