A Greenpeace activist dressed as a polar bear at a protest in Bali. (Reuters)

New Delhi, Dec. 16: For households, the climate change pact finalised at Bali could in the coming years mean a shift towards high-efficiency lamps, solar water heaters, and new electrical appliances.

Under the agreement thrashed out yesterday after 12 days of negotiations, developing countries have indicated their intent to do more to combat climate change if they get clean technologies and finance.

Negotiations on how exactly this can be achieved will take place over the next two years. But, experts said, a fresh thrust on renewable energy and efforts to boost efficiency in power generation and consumption could form part of India’s actions to mitigate climate change.

“This is something India should be doing anyway,” said Navroz K. Dubash, associate professor and energy policy expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

While dramatic growth in renewable energy — such as solar electricity or hydrogen-powered cars — will require advances in technology, climate change might also be addressed — faster — by raising efficiency bars.

“A focus on efficiency is important. Every unit energy saved in a household is better than every unit generated because of the losses during transmission,” Dubash said.

“India could improve efficiency in electrical appliances through market mechanisms or legal teeth,” said Srinivas Krishnaswamy, team leader on climate and energy policy with Greenpeace India, an environmental organisation.

Either route could impact households. One proposal circulating across government departments is tax benefits for consumers who give up energy-guzzling geysers for solar water heaters.

“A solar water heater for a two-bathroom house would cost about Rs 40,000 extra, and a tax benefit on this amount could fuel a shift towards solar heaters,” Srinivas said.

Energy experts estimate solar heating would allow a household to save about Rs 4,000 per year in electricity costs by avoiding the use of geysers.

Another possible action would be to coax consumers to replace incandescent light bulbs in their homes with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

A complete ban on the bulb would help India save 12,000 MW of electricity, cutting 55 million tonnes, or 5 per cent, of India’s greenhouse gas emissions, experts estimate.

A bulb costs Rs 10 and a high-quality CFL about Rs 180 or Rs 200. But existing funding mechanisms allow industrial countries to invest in projects to reduce emissions in developing countries.

“A CFL could be made available to consumers for Rs 15 or Rs 20, with the balance paid to manufacturers through the climate change financing mechanism,” an expert said.

“Alternatively, we could also have a mechanism where the cost of CFL is added into electricity bills, spread over several months,” Dubash said.

Eventually, the government could also introduce energy efficiency bars — limits — in a range of other appliances: from fans to electric toasters to irons.

“Market mechanisms could work in the short run, but eventually legislation might be required to make high efficiency mandatory,” Srinivas said.

Improving energy consumption in buildings is also in the pipeline with the new and renewable energy ministry having introduced a national rating for green buildings.

White House frowns

The White House has expressed “serious concerns” over some provisions of the pact to fight global warming and said major developing countries like India and China should be set emission targets just like developed ones, PTI adds.

While many features of the Bali deal are “quite positive”, the US has “serious concerns about other aspects of the decision as we begin the negotiations”, White House media secretary Dana Perino said.

“The negotiations must proceed on the view that the problem of climate change cannot be adequately addressed through commitments for emission cuts by developed countries alone. Major developing economies must likewise act.”