The European Union on Monday decided to phase out traditional incandescent light-bulbs in a bid to boost the bloc's energy efficiency, officials in Brussels said, according to dpa. The decision is part of a series of measures aimed at reducing electricity consumption and thus fighting global warming. It means that, between 2009 and 2012, old-fashioned incandescent light-bulbs will progressively be banned from Europe, with the most energy-hungry (100 watts and up) the first to go, and the most efficient (25 watts) the last to disappear, French Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said after a meeting with EU counterparts. And it "delivers a clear message about the EU's commitment to reach its energy-efficiency and climate-protection targets ... European homes will keep the same quality of lighting, while saving energy, carbon dioxide (CO2, the gas most linked with global warming) and money," EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said. To replace the old-fashioned bulbs, European bulb manufacturers will be encouraged to produce highly-efficient LED or halogen bulbs, which reduce energy consumption by anything from 25 to 75 per cent. While such bulbs cost considerably more than old-fashioned models, officials point out that they can last up to six times longer and use much less electricity - thereby reducing the consumer's power bill. The switch could mean an average net saving of up to 50 euros (63.6 dollars) per year in electricity bills for European households, and will reduce the EU's electricity consumption by the equivalent of the total power consumption of Romania, EU officials said. That will release an extra 5 billion euros into the EU's economy as households spend the saved money on other goods, Piebalgs said. And it will reduce the EU's total output of CO2 by 15 million tons per year - equivalent to turning off every light, factory and car in a small country such as Estonia or Luxembourg, commission figures said. It is unlikely to be the last such reduction the EU calls for. Energy ministers are currently looking into the savings which could be made by improving the efficiency of products such as washing machines, freezers, DVD players and water heaters, Borloo said. The EU is also currently debating a series of proposals aimed at fighting global warming by making industry, transport and households more energy efficient and less polluting. That debate is set to come to a head on Thursday when EU leaders meet for their year-end summit in Brussels. However, on Monday energy ministers agreed in principle that the bloc should stick to a target of boosting its use of renewable energy to 20 per cent of total consumption by 2020, Borloo said.
