The EU initiative to phase out those light bulbs which are lower ratings of energy efficiency is now well under way, with 100 watt light bulbs already a glimmer in our memory.

The latest casualty of the EU ruling is the 60 watt bulb. Shops in the UK have not been able to order supplies of any of these bulbs since the 1st of September 2011 so stocks are running low and you might find your local store has already run out.

Anyone who wants to buy a bulb of a similar luminance rating will now have to swap to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).