Light's labour's lost : policies for energy-efficient lighting

'Without rapid action the amount of energy used for lighting will be 80% higher in 2030 than today; however, if we simply make better use of today's efficient lighting technologies and techniques, global lighting energy demand need be no greater at that time.'So said Claude Mandil, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency during the launch of a new publication: Light's Labour's Lost: Policies for Energy-efficient Lighting. 'This important work shows that the potential for energy savings in lighting is simply enormous and can be achieved with technologies that not only are readily available in the market but economically competitive during the life cycle of the product. Moreover, more efficient lighting also results in lower CO 2 emissions', added Mandil. The study is a component of the lEA's response to the G8 Gleneagles Plan of Action (July 2005) which mandated the IEA to identify strategies and scenarios for a more sustainable energy future. It is the first detailed global analysis of the energy used by lighting and includes a thorough review of the technologies and policies which can reduce it. Here we reproduce the executive summary of the book.