Chile has the wherewithal to face the energy efficiency improvement challenge across the board, from the public sector –i.e., street lighting- to the private sector –i.e., the mining industry.

To tap the country's vast potential, an Energy Efficiency Country Program is now in place. The Program proposes to:

• Set up a public-private energy efficiency institutional framework.
• Foster a culture of energy efficiency.
• Design and implement key energy efficiency initiatives throughout the Chilean economy.

Energy Efficiency Country Program

A program designed to help the most vulnerable 40 percent of the population trade traditional incandescent bulbs in for energy-saving lamps. Resulting savings equal the energy requirements of 23,000 homes.

Social benefits:

• Energy-saving lamps use five times less energy than incandescent bulbs. As a result, user families will be able to lower consumption by an estimated 10 percent.

Environmental benefits:

• Reduced electrical consumption lowers generating requirements and associated power plant GHG emissions.
• CO2 emissions will be reduced by an estimated 43,000 TPY through six years (the average lifespan of an energy-saving lamp).
• The project will reduce CO2 emissions by 258,000 TPY overall, equivalent to the carbon emitted by a community of 75,000 residents.

Key initiatives target the mining industry, notably copper mining, which accounts for fully 75 percent of sector energy needs. With an annual output of 5.4 million tons of refined copper in 2006 alone, Chile is the world’s largest copper producer and exporter.

Power requirements in this vast industry account for:

• 34.1 percent of overall domestic energy needs.
• 5.9 percent of overall domestic fuel needs.