Irelandcould save more energy per household than any other EU
country, simply byswitching to efficient lightbulbs. That is
because Irelandcurrently has the highest energy consumption per
household for lighting at 920kWh (the worst in the EU-27), compared
with say Germany at 337 kWh. [1]
"Wewant Irelandto lead the way for the EU on this," said Eoin
Dubsky, Greenpeace International Online Organizer. "France
lastmonth announced a ban on incandescent lightbulbs by 2010, but
details are stillhazy. Other governments recently backpedalled
saying EU law won't let them setenergy standards for lightbulbs. If
Europe'slargest lightbulb manufacturers Philips, Osram & G.E.
have their way, itcould be 2019 before we are finally rid of their
most wasteful, outdatedproducts," he added. [2]
"Nobodystands to gain more than Ireland,"continued Eoin Dubsky.
"Up to15 per cent of residential electricity demand could be saved
by switching toenergy saving lightbulbs. Furthermore, setting in
motion a system of mandatory,ever-improving efficiency standards
will ensure that manufacturers only makethe good stuff, helping to
continually cut carbon dioxide from power plantsthat add to global
warming," he said. [3]
AccordingGreenpeace International campaigner Sharon Becker,
"It's time to changethe lightbulb in Europe. Up to 477 milliontons
of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plants across Europe
could easily be saved if EU governments would passlaws demanding a
switch to energy savers by 2010 instead of 2019. There havebeen
years of talk about standards and phasing-out inefficient lighting
butprecious little action. We need a government to pass a lighting
energyefficiency law that sets the standard for the others."
[4]
Settingthe minimum standard for residential lighting at 25
Lumens per Watt wouldeffectively ban energy-wasting incandescent
lightbulbs and some inefficienthalogen bulbs. According to a legal
opinion sought by Greenpeace, properlydrafted energy efficiency
legislation would not fall foul of EU trade rules.[5]
Campaignersbegan discussions on a lightbulb law this summer with
the Irish Government,dealing with issues of timing, hardship
provisions, EU law, waste management,and opportunities for
spreading the good example internationally.
Greenpeace'sglobal energy scenario for the period up to 2050
demonstrates how a radicalchange in where we get energy from, and
how wisely we then use it, can keepglobal mean temperature rise
below 2 degrees Celsius. This would avoid the worstimpacts of
climate change, according international climate experts. [6]
IrishGovernment negotiators will be attending next month's UN
climateconference, in Bali, Indonesia, which will be laying
thefoundation for extending the Kyoto Protocol - the only
internationalclimate treaty with legally-binding emissions
targets.
VVPR info: Eoin Dubsky, Greenpeace International Online Organizer. Mobile: +31 6 41636410 (
)
Notes: 1. Source: "Residential Lighting Consumption and Saving Potential in the Enlarged EU", Paolo Bertoldi, European Commission DG JRC, https://www.iea.org/Textbase/work/2007/cfl/Bertoldi.pdf2. Lightbulb manufacturer's position paper http://www.sustenergy.org/UserFiles/File/elcf_background_paper.pdf3. Gains from switching to energy saving lightbulbs calculated from figures in "Energy in Ireland, 1990-2005", prepared for Sustainable Energy Ireland, http://www.sei.ie/getFile.asp?FC_ID=2054&docID=684. Based on current annual incandescent sales: 0.42kg CO2 emissions per kWh for the European Energy Mix with a 60 Watt incandescent produces 25kg CO2 per 60 Watt incandescent per year x 2.1 billion, which is 53 million tons of additional CO2 emissions per year, which is 477 million tons of additional CO2 emissions within the time period 2010 to 2019.5. Contact Greenpeace International for a PDF copy of the legal opinion by Jon Turner QC.6. "Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable World Energy Outlook", European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace International, http://www.energyblueprint.info/Questions and Answers on Lightbulbs
Exp. contact date: 2008-01-10 00:00:00