Inefficient Lightbulbs to Go Dark

China said Friday that it will phase out power-draining lightbulbs in an energy-efficiency move certain to impact the global market.

It will ban imports and sales of 100-watt-and-higher incandescent bulbs starting next October, Xie Ji, deputy director of the environmental protection department of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a conference.

This will be followed by a ban on imports and sales of 60-watt-and-above incandescent lightbulbs starting October 1, 2014, he said, and then finally the ban will apply to those of 15 watts or higher on October 1, 2016.

According to the planning commission, 3.85 billion incandescent lightbulbs were produced in the country last year and 1 billion were sold domestically.

The commission said 12 percent of China's total electricity use is for lighting. The move is meant to save energy and help fight climate change.

The government might adjust the last step according to a mid-term evaluation which will run for one year and finish on September 30, 2016, he said.

The plan shows China's determination to press ahead in its efforts to save energy, reduce emissions and curb climate change, he said.

"China is a major manufacturer and consumer of lighting products," he said, adding that the country is the world's largest producer of both energy-saving and incandescent bulbs.

After implementing the plan, China will save 48 billion kilowatt-hours of power per year and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 48 million tons annually, according to the commission.

China pledged in March to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent while slashing carbon emissions by 17 percent in the five years to 2015.

Xie said the plan will also "have a significant impact" in reducing the use of incandescent lightbulbs worldwide.

The United States and the 27-nation European Union are phasing out the bulbs beginning next year as well.

The energy-saving lightbulb production line at a plant in central China's Henan Province. [Xinhua]