Gardiner pleased at demise of old-fashioned Light Bulbs at UK shops
Ulster Unionist Environment Spokesman, Sam Gardiner MLA, has welcomed the decision by British retailers to ban traditional light bulbs by 2011.
His comments come following news that major retailers would phase out 150 watt bulbs in 2008, 100 watt in in 2009, 40 watt in 2010 and all others in 2011. The first store to act will be the Co-op which would stop selling old fashioned tungsten bulbs next month.
“I have been campaigning for the abandonment of the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs for two years now,” explained Mr Gardiner.
“Last year I had a free give-away of new low-energy fluorescent light bulbs in my High Street, Lurgan constituency office and there was a very big take-up by the public. This new plan will cut carbon emissions by 5 million tonnes a year. So it is very good news for the environment.”
“I am also pleased that, for once, the UK is ahead of the rest of the European Union in this. New rules banning the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs will niot be introduced in Europe until after 2011. So we are ahead of the field.”
“80 per cent of bulbs sold in UK stores are old fashioned high-energy bulbs, even though fluorescent bulbs use 75 per cent less energy and last up to 12 times longer. New fluorescent light bulbs can reduce electricity bills by £9 per per per bulb, or by £100 over the bulb’s average lifetime,” explained the MLA.
“So it makes good financial sense for people to make the switch now and it is also good for the environment.”