Brussels, 04/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Since Saturday 1 September, shops in the EU will no longer be allowed to order new stocks of energy intensive incandescent light bulbs of 40 watts or lower. This follows the move to phase out higher wattage versions (see EUROPE 9967 and 10200), and is greatly welcomed by Friends of the Earth (FoE), an environmental NGO which sees this as good news not only for the environment but also for consumers' pockets.
“Pulling the plug on these energy-guzzling light bulbs is good news for cash-strapped consumers and the environment. Swapping out-dated bulbs for long-lasting, energy efficient alternatives will lead to significant cuts in electricity bills - and because they use only a fifth of the energy, less dirty fossil fuels will be burned. Switching to modern low-energy light bulbs is only the very first step to making our homes more energy efficient. With rocketing fuel bills, the government must take action to make it as cheap and easy as possible for us all to slash energy waste”, states Andrew Pendleton, a member of FoE, in a press release.
Since 1 September 2009, household lamps produced for the EU market need to fulfil minimum energy requirements. Conventional incandescent and halogen bulbs which cannot meet these requirements have been gradually phased out from the EU market. (AN/transl.jl)