European Union prohibits stores 27 EU member states to purchase 100-watt incandescent and import any incandescent September 1, writes the Austrian Wiener Zeitung.

stores and manufacturers are allowed, however, sell off existing inventory and after September 1.

completely inefficient incandescent lamps will be replaced in the EU energy-saving bulbs by 2016. Lamp power 75 W away from the shops in September 2010, a 60-watt will not buy in 2011, and in 2012 will not and incandescent power of 40 watts and 25 watts.

In classical filament lamps only 5% of consumed energy goes to lighting, the rest is converted into heat. According to experts, the use of new energy-saving lamp will save up to 40 terawatt-hours of electricity a year, European families while reducing the cost of electricity for 25-50 euros a year, even taking into account the higher cost of new bulbs.

however useful for the environment and budget initiative was not reciprocated by the Europeans. Many of them rushed to buy old lamp - the Germans and Austrians, for example, removes them from the supermarket trolleys whole.

According to a survey by UFH, energy-saving bulbs do not like the Europeans: they were dull and soulless distort colors contain unhealthy mercury and look ugly, even in modern chandeliers. Total 4,8% of the respondents use only energy-saving lamps, however, fully 24% of them refused.

Conventional lamps are buying in large quantities not only consumers, but also museums, writes Spiegel: illumination exhibits must remain familiar to visitors and museum workers as long as possible.

Sales of 100-watt bulbs in stores in Hamburg, Max Bahr soared 337%, with buyers choose the giant economy pack of 60 bulbs or more, said spokesman Simon Nauyoks.

manager of one of the shops in Cardiff, UK said that incandescent just fly off the shelves.

But sooner or later any stocks run out, and Europeans will have to live with energy-saving light bulbs.

Similar measures for energy saving plan and the CIS countries: Kazakhstan, for example, will switch to energy-saving lamps to October 1. Russia encourages the production and use of such lamps, and a ban on traffic in incandescent lamps rated at more than 100 watts, is expected to be introduced in 2011.