3 November 2006
Following the Stern report released earlier this week, a growing campaign to get rid of wasteful traditional light bulbs in favour of energy efficient ones has gained political weight with environment minister Ian Pearson stating that the government is pushing the European Commission to make light bulbs a priority for regulatory action.
By scrapping the traditional incandescent light bulbs, which cost 30p on average, for an energy efficient one, costing £3 on average but lasting up to 12 times longer, it is estimated that the UK could reduce its carbon emissions by a million tonnes per year by 2020.
The Energy Saving Trust claimed this could save household electricity bills £9 a year and light bulb manufacturer Osram estimated that if every household replaced one bulb with an energy efficient one, an entire power station could be shut down.
Penny Fox, a spokesperson for the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, commented: "In the UK, we are working with retailers and manufacturers on how we could remove inefficient lighting products from UK shelves in advance of European regulations.
"Work is under way in Europe to investigate the scope for setting minimum standards for 14 energy-using products, including commercial lighting," she told the BBC. "We understand that domestic lighting will be covered in the next round of studies, which should commence within three to six months."
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