The government has initially allocated $40 million for the support- program but the Ministry of Water and Power has not yet used this whole amount.

The Ministry will use the remaining $9 million balance that is still in its account to rationalize power -use through a plan of thee stages, according to officials.  It will, through the Lebanese Center for Power Rationalizing, allocate $7 million for the purchase of three million energy-saving light bulbs.

The new bulbs will replace the 100-watts regular lamps used by citizens in one million homes, thus replacing three bulbs per one house. The move will help Electricite Du Liban (EDL) save $76 million per year, and each citizen save $28.

The Ministry will import the lamps and then distribute them among dealers that will be chosen upon auctions. Regular lamps will be replaced gradually with power-saving lamps that will be sold to supermarkets and shops.

The Ministry will allocate another one million dollars to buy 22,500 water heaters that operate on solar energy. It will also borrow money from international lenders to finance the purchase. The move will help EDL save $13 million annually and citizens save $7 million.

Another $ 500,000 will be allocated to provide general lighting powered by solar energy. The Ministry will install special equipment for this reason, officials said.

The plan was approved by the council of ministers.