Canada will ban the use of inefficient light bulbs nationwide by 2012 in a bid to reduce energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gases, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said Wednesday. Lunn said the ban would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than six million tons a year, saving homeowners about 60 Canadian dollars (54 U.S. dollars) annually in electricity costs.

"Today, we're making a commitment to set performance standards ... within five years, all of those energy-inefficient lighting and bulbs, they're going to be gone," Lunn told reporters in Ottawa.

More efficient lighting would include compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which use about 75 percent less electricity than older incandescent bulbs.

In the world, many places have recently moved toward banning standard incandescent bulbs. Australia announced in February that it was going to prohibit the use of incandescent bulbs by 2010 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.