Bring out your old light bulbs, fridges and air conditioners

Kevin Rudd has your light bulbs in his sights.

Believe it or not, the old style incandescent light bulb is to be banned from November this year.

That’s a small, but  important, part of the Federal government’s new national strategy on energy efficiency.

The Prime Minister, who announced this new strategy in Darwin yesterday, described it as an ambitious roadmap to accelerate action on energy efficiency.

It’s meant to assist Australia’s transition to a low carbon economy.

Mr Rudd says it will help Australian families and businesses to cut their energy and fuel bills while reducing their carbon footprints.

It won’t all be down to the humble light bulb, of course.

The government also has plans to improve the energy efficiency of Australia’s refrigerators and air conditioners.

The plan is ambitious.

Mr Rudd says those two measures, alone, are expected to reduce Australia’s carbon pollution by 19.5 million tonnes a year by 2020.

He says that’s the equivalent of taking  some 4.8 million cars off  the nation’s roads.

All this will be done through a national effort, adopted by Australia’s Federal, State and Territory leaders, at a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments, in Darwin yesterday.

It will be comprehensive,

Mr Rudd also said there will be a concentrated national effort to phase out inefficient electric hot water systems.

That will start in 2010 and is expected to reduce emissions by another 30 million tonnes of carbon, over the coming decade.