A "zero" watt bulb does not actually consume Zero Watts. They are generally very low power consuming bulbs arround 12 watts. A bulb that consumes no power will also produce no light.
I'm curious, where did the reference to a 'zero watt' bulb come from?
I was wondering if maybe they meant a neon bulb. Not exactly zero watts, but was
wondering in what capacity, the original reference was made?
It derives from the old inacurate electrical meters that would of seen the amount of power consumed by these bulbs as negligible. It is simply a term to describe minimal "Watts".