A bright idea from Europe - make the switch!

12.11.05pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 15th Mar 2007

Sharon Bowles Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East has given her full backing to a call to ban bad lighting and help thousands of people suffering from fuel poverty by an EU wide ban on old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs.

Light bulb company Osram have recently estimated that if every household in the UK switched just one of its old-fashioned light bulbs to an energy saving version, a power station could be closed down.

Australia announced recently that it is banning the energy-wasteful appliances. Sharon says that the UK too should be demanding that old-style light bulbs get taken off the market.

Sharon Bowles said "DTI figures show a shocking 133, 000 households are living in poverty in the South East. 3.9% of households in the region.

"In most homes lighting accounts for around 10-15% of an electricity bill. Energy efficient light bulbs last six times longer than incandescents because they do not turn energy into heat.

The Energy Saving Trust says that replacing just one light bulb can save £100 over the bulb's life time.

Last week European ministers expressed their commitment to switching to energy-efficient light bulbs within two years in an effort to tackle climate change.

Mrs Bowles said: "Electric light shouldn't literally be costing us the earth. Such a ban will benefit us all round. I hope as many people as possible will give it their support. It is a win, win situation."

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For more energy saving tips and further information on lighting go the Energy Saving Trust website information on lighting. http://www.est.org.uk/myhome/efficientproducts/lighting