Change we can believe in

11/7/96 The Press

New law will ban inefficient appliances

The Government will pull the plug on the sale of some energy-inefficient appliances and electrical equipment.

Energy Minister Doug Kidd yesterday announced new energy-efficiency legislation would be developed that would effectively ban the sale of some categories of electrical products that did not meet new energy efficiency standards.

Standards would initially apply to domestic hot-water cylinders, fluorescent lamps, and fluorescent ballasts for office lighting, but could also be extended to electric motors and domestic refrigerators and freezers after more analysis.

The legislation, which is expected to go before Parliament next year, will not apply to existing installations of appliances and equipment.

Mr Kidd said the new measures would benefit consumers through lower energy costs, benefit the economy through savings to businesses and reduced pressure to construct new energy generation plants, and benefit the environment through reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Officials have estimated the net national economic benefit of the standards could be as high as $70 million over 15 years. Total carbon dioxide emissions are also expected to be cut by more than one million tonnes over the same period.

Mr Kidd said consumers would still enjoy a wide choice of models from each product type, but the least energy efficient and most obsolete technologies would be ``knocked out of the market''.

Standards would be developed in consultation with manufacturers and suppliers would be given time to dispose of stocks of non-complying products before the new legislation took effect, he said.

2/12/08 NZ Herald

Eco bulbs unlikely to be compulsory - Key

A proposal to phase out incandescent lightbulbs is extremely unlikely to go ahead under the new National Government.

Prime Minister John Key stood by National's policy in opposition against the Labour Government's plan to implement a new standard for lightbulbs, which would see old incandescent lightbulbs phased out by the end of next year.

"We have real concerns about telling people that they have to move to energy efficient light bulbs by decree," he said.

"We want to encourage people to do that, we think there may be benefits for them to do it, but it should be a choice they make as consumers."