KEY POINTS:
New Zealanders are split over support for the Government's move to make eco bulbs compulsory, as a warning is issued about the potential dangers of the energy saving lights.
Research New Zealand surveyed 500 people over the compulsory plan, to be implemented from next year, and found 46 per cent agreed with banning incandescent bulbs while 47 per cent disagreed. A further 7 per cent were not sure.
Research New Zealand director Emanuel Kalafatelis said while there had been vocal opposition to banning the bulbs, the poll showed there was an equally large but less vocal group who supported the ban.
People aged 15-29 were most likely to support the ban (67 per cent) while those aged 50-59 years were least likely to support it (31 per cent).
The research comes as the government's safety agency, Energy Safety, warns about potential hazards with the eco-bulbs.
The Dominion Post reported that Energy Safety had sent a memo to the Fire Service saying some bulbs had melted, blown up and blacked surrounding electrical equipment.
Fire Service national fire investigation manager Peter Wilding said staff had been warned to be "aware of the issue and pay particular attention to these faults".
"We do not know if there is a manufacturing fault, a user fault or a dud batch but we want to give the public assurance we are trying to be responsible."
A spokeswoman for Energy Minister David Parker told the newspaper Energy Safety had received 13 complaints about eco-bulbs in the past fortnight. However, none concerned serious problems and no structural fires had been reported.
- NZPA
