New Zealand phases out old light bulbs to save energy, cut emission

New Zealand will ban traditional light bulb sales from October 2009 to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save up to half a billion dollars in energy costs over 12 years, the government said yesterday.

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 five per cent of the energy it uses generates light - the rest is wasted as heat," Parker said in a statement.