Germans, Austrians and Hungarians are hoarding energy-hungry light bulbs, which haven fallen out of favour in other European countries, ahead of a European Union ban that takes effect next month.

The scramble for conventional bulbs illuminates the challenges of persuading consumers to embrace environmentally friendly shopping habits – particularly in the midst of an economic crisis. Sales of incandescent light bulbs have risen by 34 per cent year-on-year in Germany in the first six months of 2009, data from GfK, the German consumer research group, shows.