Energy suppliers 'make consumers pay for free eco-friendly bulbs' - 25/03/2010
A new report suggests that energy suppliers are making consumers indirectly pay for energy-saving light bulbs that are supposed to be free.
Consumer watchdog Which? calculated that each household that has received energy-saving light bulbs has paid around £45 in higher energy bills to fund the scheme, even though many did not want to be sent bulbs in the first place.
The big six energy suppliers, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, npower, Scottish & Southern and Scottish Power, all sent the bulbs as part of a government drive to encourage business energy efficiency.
Around 200 million energy saving light bulbs have been sent by energy suppliers to their customers over the last two years.
Jenny Driscoll, of Which?, told the Daily Express: "Sending out truckloads of energy-saving light bulbs that might never be used is a box-ticking approach to the very real need to cut carbon emissions. Marketing these as 'free' just adds insult to injury."
Last year, the department of energy and climate change conceded that the carbon emissions reduction scheme was flawed and resulted in a lot of energy wastage.
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