Source: Wikimedia Commons/Arnoldius
By RTCC Staff
China has announced plans to phase out all incandescent light bulbs by 2016, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
Imports and sales of energy-inefficient 100 Watt bulbs and above will be banned from October 1, 2012 as the country looks to contain its enormous energy consumption.
A second step in the process will ban 60 Watt and above bulbs from October 1, 2014.
China is the world’s largest producer of light bulbs, energy efficient and otherwise, according to Xie Ji, deputy director of environmental protection at China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Ji told Xinhua that ban would have “a significant impact” in reducing the use of incandescent bulbs globally.
The plan states that China produced 3.85bn incandescent bulbs in 2010 with 1.07bn of those sold domestically.
Lighting constitutes 12 per cent of China’s total electricity consumption.
The scheme will cut the country’s CO2 emissions by 48 million tonnes, according to the NDRC.