Genesis Energy is set to petition for a nationwide prohibition on incandescent lightbulbs, revisiting an initiative originally put forward in 2008 that was later abandoned by the National government.
Genesis chief revenue officer Stephen England-Hall said LED bulbs are 10 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs - one dollar of electricity provides 250 hours of LED lighting compared to 25 hours from incandescent bulbs. Households could save $300 annually on electricity by making the switch. A typical home has around 15 lightbulbs.
"It doesn't require, you know, radical re-invention of electricity markets," England-Hall said. "It just means get rid of inefficient technology and use more efficient technology, and everybody saves money."
The petition follows Genesis research finding 79% of New Zealanders are trying to find methods to lower their energy costs, with just 4% not pursuing any cost reduction at all. The research showed younger New Zealanders were most likely to be searching for ways to reduce energy spending.
Consumer NZ advocated for an incandescent bulb ban more than 10 years ago. Genesis has separately conducted a year-long trial with 17,000 customers moving hot water heating from morning peak demand to off-peak hours, saving enough energy to supply 2000 homes.