A man holds a frosted bulb in a London store. (AFP)

Brussels, Sept. 1 (Reuters): Europe started eradicating traditional energy-guzzling light bulbs today, angering some consumers who had grown attached to their warm glow and cheap price.

The move was part of EU efforts to boost energy efficiency by a fifth by 2020 in the fight against global warming and to cut dependency on costly gas imports for electricity production.

Factories must immediately stop producing frosted incandescent bulbs and the least efficient 100-watt clear bulbs, but shops will be allowed to sell bulbs already in stock.

Traditional bulbs will be progressively replaced until 2012 with efficient alternatives such as halogen bulbs and compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which consume up to 80 per cent less energy.

Traditional incandescent bulbs have barely changed since they were first produced commercially by Thomas Edison in 1879, and efficiency improvements reached a limit about 50 years ago.

But some European media criticised Brussels bureaucrats for intruding too far into citizens’ lives and highlighted complaints that the new bulbs cause migraines and skin problems.

Research published yesterday showed some Europeans were hoarding the older bulbs, with sales of incandescent bulbs up 35 per cent in the first half of the year in Germany.

“Industry has much to do to improve the lighting,” said Jo Leinen, the German chairman of the European Parliament’s environment committee.