New Zealand sees the light on bulb ban

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

NEW Zealand will ban traditional light bulb sales from October 2009 to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save up to half a billion dollars in energy costs over 12 years, the government said yesterday.

Energy Minister David Parker said incandescent bulbs would be phased out and replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs across the country.

"The traditional light bulb is very old technology and very inefficient. Only 5 percent of the energy it uses generates light - the rest is wasted as heat," Parker said.

"There's a whole new generation of lighting coming through that is more cost-effective, saves energy and is better for the environment," he said.

The sales ban will take effect next year, the same time as neighbor Australia introduces a similar ban.

Government spokeswoman on energy efficiency and conservation, Jeanette Fitzsimons, said fluorescent light bulbs on the market already saved money and electric power, while pricing subsidies by the nation's Electricity Commission made them cheaper.

"Each year we spend approximately NZ$660 million (US$497 million) on electricity for lighting in this country, generating about 2.65 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions," she said. "New Zealanders will be able to save almost NZ$500 million by 2020, just by changing the lights," Fitzsimons said.