The conventional bulbs still used extensively to light up homes and offices will no longer be available for sale within the European Union as from 2013.

Under new EU rules published this week, they will have to be replaced by energy-saving bulbs of the type to be distributed by the government or by efficient halogen or incandescent lamps, which, although more expensive, should, over the long run, cut electricity bills.

The new European Commission regulations lay down that light bulbs of the inefficient, incandescent sort will be progressively replaced by improved alternatives over the next four years, up to the end of 2012.

The rules set energy efficiency, functionality and product information requirements for household lamps, in particular incandescent bulbs, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps, as well as for lighting products typically used for office, street and industrial purposes.

Households will have a choice between long-life compact fluorescent lamps that yield the highest energy savings (up to 75 per cent less energy than incandescent lamps) or efficient incandescent lamps (of the halogen type) fully equivalent to conventional bulbs in terms of light quality, providing between 25 per cent and 50 per cent energy savings.

Depending on the number of lamps installed, an average household switching from conventional bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps could make net savings, when taking into account the higher purchase price of the lamps, of between €25 and €50 a year on their electricity bill.

Brussels said the new rules should save close to 80 TWh by 2020, the equivalent of the yearly output of 20 power stations of 500 megawatts, and will lead to a reduction of about 32 million tons of carbon emissions per year.

Malta had endorsed these rules when discussed at EU Council level.