Answer: None. Sure, everyone knows we burn the midnight oil.
But seriously...
Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, is thinking of introducing a levy on traditional light bulbs (like the one that currently exists on plastic bags). This levy is aimed at encouraging people to switch to energy-saving/long-life bulbs, or to give them their proper name, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).
"We all know that the traditional light bulb is very inefficient," says Minister Roche. Modern CFL bulbs save 80% of the energy and last 15 times longer, so they help the environment and our pockets at the same time. Using long life lightbulbs, or Compact Fluorescent Lamps, for one year would save Ireland more than €32 million and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by several hundred thousand tonnes.
"The German Presidency of the EU has suggested an outright ban. However, this is likely to take some time. Because of the Single Market, Ireland cannot ban inefficient bulbs unilaterally but we could consider an environmental levy to change behavior, in advance of a ban, the same way we did with the plastic bag levy. I propose to include this proposal in the Government's new Climate Change Strategy which I will be launching shortly.
"Old-fashioned bulbs may be cheap to buy, but they work out more expensive in the long run because of their short life and inefficient energy use. Any incentive to get people to buy energy saving bulbs, even a levy, will save people money in the long run."
Source: Department of the Environment Press Release (13-3-07)
http://www.environ.ie/DOEI/DOEIPub.n...2?OpenDocument