Looking to address the demand side of Chile’s long-running energy crisis, the center-left government of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has intensified efforts to conserve power. The Bachelet administration has substantially stepped up a power-conservation effort called the National Energy Efficiency Program. Recent evidence of the new commitment came in October, when the government announced that all Chilean households in the lower 40% of the income ladder will qualify for two fluorescent light bulbs free-of-charge. More affluent households, meanwhile, can each receive up to four of the bulbs at discounted prices as part of the one-time program. “You can set standards and incentives, etcetera, etcetera, but we wanted to get results more quickly,” says Nicola Borregaard, executive director of the... [Log in to read more]