Consumer groups mixed on EU switch to new light bulbs

Leading consumer groups have voiced disapproval over the full switch-over to new energy-efficient light bulbs, due to take place across the EU from next week.

From Tuesday (1 September), 100-watt versions of classic, incandescent bulbs will be banned from shops in the 27 EU member states in the first phase of a process that will take several years. The most widely used bulbs, the 40-watt and 25-watt versions, will disappear in 2012 while all energy-inefficient bulbs will be removed by ...