Ontarians given extra 2 years for light bulb switch

Ontario residents will have an extra two years before they have to switch off all their incandescent light bulbs.

The province is moving to match an earlier decision by the federal government to ban all 100 and 75 watt incandescent bulbs by January 2014.

Forty and 60 watt bulbs will have to be phased out by the end of 2014, and replaced with more energy-efficient alternatives such as LEDs or compact fluorescents.

Ontario is also imposing a new regulation Jan. 1 on public sector institutions such as schools and hospitals to start reporting their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.