The European Union has been phasing out old style lightbulbs since 2007 on a voluntary basis, but from next Tuesday (1 September) it will become law.

The mandatory phase out of 100W and frosted incandescent, also referred to as old fashioned lightbulbs, could save around 1m tonnes of C02 per year by 2020.

British environment minister, Dan Norris said: “We can no longer rely on light bulbs which waste 95% of their energy as heat.

“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.

“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.

“This is great news for people who will pay less in electricity and even better news for the planet, as this will amount to 1m tonnes of saved C02 per year by 2020.”

For more information go to the Defra website.

Luke Walsh

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