The move has been prompted by environment secretary Hilary Benn’s announcement last week of plans to phase out of inefficient bulbs by 2011.
The Energy Saving Trust, a non-profit organisation funded both by government and the private sector, commissioned a recent study that suggests more than half of those people currently without any energy-saving bulbs plan to fit them in the future.
It has also launched a free guide correcting widely held misconceptions about energy-saving lighting. The guide can be downloaded at ww.energysavingtrust.org.uk/lighting-guide.
Retailers are already falling in to line behind the drive for energy-saving bulbs.
The Co-operative Group has pledged to stop selling traditional tungsten filament bulbs by 2010 at the latest – 12 months ahead of the Government’s deadline.
The Co-op added that it would pilot the removal of the bulbs in 50 stores during October. It has also overhauled its range of energy-saving fluorescent bulbs.
Last month, Greenpeace put Woolworths on to the defensive over the issue by staging a protest at the company’s London headquarters (PRWeek, 21 September).
The Energy Saving Trust has offices in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It aims to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by promoting the sustainable, efficient use of energy.
