Ireland will ban incandescent light bulbs in favor of energy-saving alternatives from 2009, making it the first country to take specific steps towards implementing a European Union pledge to switch to energy-efficient lighting by the end of the decade, Reuters reports.

The aim of new energy efficient standards that were introduced “will be to end the use of incandescent light bulbs in Ireland,” Environment Minister John Gormley said. The move would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700,000 tonnes a year and shave $269.3 million a year off householders’ electricity bills, according to Gormley.

See more on the global push to ban incandescents here.