Lights are turned out on old bulbs

PALMA ELECTRICAL shops and departments in hypermarkets and stores are no longer stocking ordinary 100-watt light bulbs but they are allowed to sell what remains on their shelves, reported a European energy-saving commission yesterday. “People are still buying the 100-watt light bulbs,” said the proprietor of one electrical shop in the Ramblas in Palma, “partly because they are cheaper but in fact the new-energy saving ones last longer and are therefore more economical.” Energy-saving, said the commission, is going to be radical but it is going to be introduced in stages. Once the old 100-watt bulbs have finally gone out of use, a deadline of September 2011 will be put on 60-watt bulbs and those of 40 and 25 watts will need to go by September 2012. In addition, said the commission, manufacturers will need to make more information on energy-saving and recycling available to the public on the packaging.