Residents of Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province, will receive a 50 percent subsidy when they purchase energy-saving lights.

The move is part of a massive subsidy program to promote the use of environmentally-friendly lights in the region.

The subsidy will encourage more consumers to embrace green products and boost energy efficiency. Local enterprises can also enjoy a 30 percent subsidy from the government, local newspaper Peninsula Metropolitan News reported.

The subsidy would be offered indirectly to residents and enterprises. Local lighting enterprises who win the subsidy will sell energy-saving products to residents and enterprises at a 50 and 30 percent discount respectively.

However, most residents still preferred ordinary incandescent lamps rather than energy-saving lamps because of its high price and unsatisfactory quality.

A local resident, surnamed Yang, said he used his lamp less than five hours a day, while the energy-saving bulbs broke due to unstable voltage. The green lights cost a lot of money.

(CRI June 17, 2008)