Landmark European Lighting Legislation
EU phasing out traditional light bulbs
According to Businessgreen.com, to accomplish reducing CO2 emissions by one million tonnes a year by 2020, the recently passed Eco Design of Energy - using Products Directive restricts the manufacture and import of frosted incandescent light bulbs over the next three years before imposing a full ban in 2012. The legislation bans 100W light bulbs beginning September 1 and lower wattage bulbs one by one over the next three years.
Environment minister Dan Norris welcomed the introduction of the ban, predicting that it will help to accelerate the UK’s efforts to phase out inefficient light bulbs.
“We are glad the EU has put this measure in place to stop the waste of energy and money from old-fashioned, high-energy bulbs,” he said. “The UK has had a successful voluntary initiative in place for a few years, and now the rest of the EU will follow suit on a mandatory basis.”
Under a voluntary initiative, retailers in the UK have already begun to remove 150W and 100W bulbs from shelves and plan to remove all old-fashioned bulbs by 2011, a year ahead of the EU schedule. The government cites strong environmental and economic reasons for switching to more efficient bulbs including that traditional light bulbs waste 95 per cent of their energy as heat and that each CFL delivers annual energy bill savings of between £3 and £6 per lamp ($4.42 and$8.85).
What would be the reaction to similar legislation on this side of the pond?
