European Union Bans Incandescent Light Bulbs
EU energy ministers meeting last week in Luxembourg have given final approval to an EU-wide ban on incandescent light bulbs that would begin in 2010. The switch to energy-saving bulbs, first ordered at last year’s Brussels summit as part of an aggressive energy policy to fight climate change, was approved at the negotiations leading up to a meeting of European heads of state, being held next week.
>>More on European energy policy at RG&B
Traditional incandescent cost around 1/3 as much as standard compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). But the CFLs last longer and use less energy while illuminated. Incandescent filament light bulbs use up to five times as much energy as standard CFLs.
Advocates claim that replacing the worst-performing lamps with today’s best available technology will reduce domestic energy consumption for lighting by 60 percent; equivalent to preventing 30 million tons of CO2 pollution every year. The move would help EU member states meet their proposed emissions reductions of 20% by 2020, targets that may currently be in question because of the lingering economic crisis.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about switch the CFL technology. Opponents to the measure argue that the fluorescent bulbs take a long time to warm up and sometimes have a tendency to flicker. The bulbs are also too big for some (very) old-fashioned fittings and are generally more expensive - although the EU has vowed costs will come down before 2010. CFLs also carry the added baggage of potential health risks and environmental problems because of the mercury found in each bulb.
However, all of the arguments used against compact fluorescents cannot be levied against LED technology. Light emitting diodes, are said to be brighter, safer, and longer lasting than even the best CFL technology. However, until the cost of LEDs comes down, a large-scale switchover to that technology remains several years away. But with directives like this latest one from the EU, it is quite likely that the price of LEDs will come down as businesses ramp-up development and production.
The new light bulb scheme will initially apply to bulbs of 75 watts and higher and the phasing out of the traditional bulbs will come into effect beginning March 1, 2009.
Image credit: laszlo-photo via flickr under a Creative Commons License
The EU has showned the true face Eu is a communist union that hides behind a so called democratic government.
This ban is against the Human Rights
I’m a little sceptical about this climate change idea.
Especially since around three thousand scientists have signed a petition denying climate change.
All life on earth depends on CO2 in the air, without it plants would die and so would we.
Also I read recently the following contrary messages:-
“As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic”
–Barack Obama, Berlin, July 24, 2008.
“New data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute shows that there is more ice than normal in the Arctic waters north of the Svalbard archipelago. In most years, there are open waters in the area north of the archipelago in the month of July. Studies from this year however show that the area is covered by ice, the Meteorological Institute writes in a press release.”
–Barents Observer (Kirkenes, Norway), July 24, 2008.
But then what would meteorologists know.
This is well intended but ultimately, a potential disaster. Flori sources contain mercury, and unless disposal and recycling nears 100% (highly unlikely) the amount of mercury in the groundwater due to improper disposal will skyrocket, with attendant spikes years hence in birth defects and related cancers. Legislation should be driven by experts, not by the legislators themselves.
From my understanding, the savings from switching to CFL’s will not be very significant.
It’s pretty much taking one of the things that consumes the least amount of power in your house and reducing the amount of energy it uses by 80%.
This is THE normal empty, thoughtless incomplete article.
So: When is the ban planned to become effective? OR Is this still something that member states need to ratify in their own legislation, is it something they all need to “strive towards”? Well, we might have a man on mars before this one is signed into law. (not to mention markets sheding the old incandescent lightbulb of their own).
Hey Dan, you might want to check out the US law on incandescent bulbs.
I believe it was passed under Republican leadership.
@Ray: i do agree that some things about the global climate change crisis are a little sketchy; however! CO2 in the atmosphere is very different from CO2 being used by plant life to make Oxygen and sugars…..also, the increase in ice is meant to tell you that it’s probably breaking off from the ice cap and falling into the waters
(idk if you know this, but water just doesnt freeze in random spots in the middle of the arctic, it freezes generally from the edges inward, anything found floating in the middle of the water is generally because it broke off from somewhere else, or a warm jetstream is under the water melting everything around it (which means that at one point, it was all frozen…)
as to the move to ban incandescent lightbulbs: it’s bloody stupid, and it will not do any good for at least 10+ years, in which time, cfl bulbs will be more or less outdated (im an optimist…i hate cfl bulbs, they give me migraines a lot…)
Hey Dan,
There is nothing to say that you cant have a socialist democracy, Communism and Democracy are not mutually exclusive.
Great decision. Apart from the warm light of incandescent bulbs, there’s really nothing to be kept.
I’ve completely switched to CFLs (really expensive ones too, 20 EUR per bulb but they’re worth the built in electronics warming them up slowly, giving them a longer life, and the warmer light) and LED lighting over 1.5 years ago.
Fluorescent bulbs trigger migraines for me. I also do professional audio and these bulbs can cause an audible hum in some of my equipment. So, I am not happy about this.
BTW, has anyone done a total cost of ownership study on these things (including safe disposal), or is it just another “feels good” program with unintended negative consequences.