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Old fashioned lightbulbs are set to be switched off in a new
initiative aimed at cutting New Zealand's power bills.
The incandescent bulbs will be phased out from October next
year.
Energy Minister David Parker says the older style bulb is inefficient and only 5% of the energy used generates light while the rest is lost as heat.
"There's a whole new generation of lighting coming through that is more cost-effective, saves energy and is better for the environment," Parker says.
But not everyone is turned on by the plan.
It's estimated 40 million bulbs light up New Zealand homes but about three quarters of those are still the old incandescents.
Getting rid of the old bulbs will cut $140 a year off the household power bill.
"We estimate by 2020 there'll be about $500 million a year of savings," says Mike Underhill of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
The old bulbs will need to be replaced with energy efficient ones that use less power because they contain gas rather than the usual filament.
Retailers will be able to sell off their old stock but from October next year they will only be allowed to import bulbs that meet new efficiency standards or face fines of up to $10,000.
But not everyone thinks this is such a bright idea.
"I use them because they're supposed to save energy but I don't like the light," says one consumer.
Another says the bulbs are dingy and make the house look like a dungeon.
"One of my fears is that because of the very large variety of incandescent bulbs which have been built up over 100 years that when they suddenly decide to stop importation of the incandescent bulbs or that there won't be enough variety," says Alan McWilliam, The Lightbulb Man.
The new bulbs have also been criticised because they release mercury when broken. But advocates are playing down the dangers.
"As for ingesting the mercury, I think you'd just about have to lick it off the floor before it's going to do you any real damage," says Richard Ponting of the Lighting Council.
However someone else is going to have to clean up disused energy-efficient bulbs.
"New Zealand isn't big enough to sustain a mercury recycling plant. We just don't have the population base in order to do that," says Ponting.
The new bulbs will be sent to Australia for recycling.
Reducing consumption
The Efficient Lighting Strategy has been developed in partnership between the lighting industry, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and the Electricity Commission, and is aimed at reducing lighting energy consumption by 20% by 2015.
One way of doing this is giving Kiwis access to affordable lighting technology and phasing out the least efficient lighting products.
"There's already an excellent range of modern, stylish energy efficient light bulbs on the market that save money and power for New Zealanders. The Electricity Commission is subsidising a number of these, so they're cheaper for families to buy," said the government spokesperson on energy efficiency and conservation, Jeanette Fitzsimons.
Fitzsimons says New Zealand spends around $660 million on electricity for lighting each year which generates about 2.65 million tones of greenhouse gas emissions.
She says Kiwis will be able to save almost $500 million by 2020 just by changing the lights.
