Ireland has taken the initiative and become the first country in Europe to ban the use of wasteful, high energy incandescent bulbs in favour of CFL bulbs. This is a great step towards becoming a greener and more energy efficient society in Ireland and indeed, creating a more cost efficient and economic lifestyle for the bill payer.

As of January 2009, all incandescent bulbs will be phased out and replaced with CFL’s (Energy Saving Bulbs).  John Gormley, Minister for the Environment has stated that by getting rid of these bulbs, “we will save 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. It has been estimated that consumers will save €185 million in electricity costs every year as a result of the measure”.  Greenpeace climate campaigner Louise Molloy said: “By banning all wasteful light bulbs within months, Ireland has shown the rest of Europe that it’s serious about energy efficiency and fighting climate change.

To put it in context, an 11 watt CFL bulb will give off as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb but will have up to fifteen times the lifespan.  Energy Saving bulbs use 80% less energy than normal bulbs and last up to 15 times longer.