New Zealand to ban traditional light bulb

New Zealand will ban traditional light bulb sales from October 2009 to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save up to half a billion US dollars a year in energy costs, the government said today.

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% of the energy it uses generates light – the rest is wasted as heat,” Mr Parker said in a statement.

“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 Australia introduces a similar ban.

The New Zealand Parliament currently is debating an emissions trading scheme as part of a bid to cut harmful greenhouse gas emission levels aimed at making the country carbon neutral.