Xray of compact fluorescent lightbulbs
Posted on 09/27/2007 10:21:01 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The traditional lightbulb will disappear from shops under a two year timetable announced by Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary.
In a drive toward more energy efficient lighting, Mr Benn said 150 watt bulbs would not be replaced by retailers from January next year.
Then from January 2009, 100 watts bulbs would be unavailable – followed by the disappearance of 40 watt bulbs in 2010.
Earlier this year Tony Blair signed up to EU plans that signalled the death knell across Europe of old style incandescent filament bulbs.
Xray of compact fluorescent lightbulbs
The aim is to switch people as quickly as is feasible to more energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which consume a fifth of the energy used by old-style bulbs.
The Government calculates that if every British household were to replace three 60 or 100 watt light bulbs with CFLs the energy saving would be greater than the power used by the country's entire street lighting network.
But there is a price for consumers because CFLs are more expensive and require more energy to make.
Mr Benn told the Labour Party conference: "The major retailers and energy suppliers are now leading a voluntary initiative, with the strong support of the lighting industry and the Government, to help phase out traditional high-energy light bulbs. We need to turn them off - for good."
Mr Benn said he wanted to see similar cooperation from manufacturers in phasing out energy-wasting televisions.
He pledged to review whether Britain should have a tougher target than its aim reducing emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. By 2010 he wanted Britain to be recycling and composting 40 per cent of waste while within eight years 15 per cent of electricity should come from renewables.
While UK action was essential to prevent "catastrophic" climate change, it had also to be backed by international efforts.
"Every country must play its part, from China to the USA. The biggest economy in the world must take on binding commitments to reduce emissions. Voluntary action isn't enough."
John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "This initiative, which will reduce the UK's CO2 emissions and finally begin to consign these hugely energy wasteful bulbs to the history books, is long overdue.
"However, almost all of the retailers involved have already committed to removing these bulbs ahead of 2011 after a campaign by Greenpeace.
"We think the Government needs to go further and introduce tough mandatory efficiency standards rather than relying on weak voluntary initiatives.
"For every year of delay in getting rid of these bulbs, five million tonnes of C02 are emitted into the atmosphere, unnecessarily."
Nope. Not now anyway. Looks like a fine subsidy to China. Time to stock up on incandescent bulbs?
Just how are they going to get the word out that it is a bad idea to just throw away burnt out CFL “bulbs” in trash that ends up in land fills? Fluorescent tubes contain significant amounts of mercury.
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What are they going to do about headlights in cars?
Or virtually anything with dimmers?
Or how about all those chandeliers that take candelabra base bulbs?
Another mess brought to you by big brother...
I just replaced all the flourescents in my garage including the ballast. The recycling center took them all no problem. These were 40 watt bulbs and I tossed about 20 of them.
What are they going to do about headlights in cars?
LED’s. The true answer to lighting replacement.
A point too seldom made.
Environmental panic feeds on crooked or negligent accounting.
But what percentage of the population do you think knows that fluorescent tubes are a hazard and should be taken to a recycling center rather than just thrown away in the trash?
The Telegraph has an article about smoking in your car is considered "a distraction" that exacerbates any other violation or vehicle acident.
UK codes make for interesting reading. They are written for 6th graders. Interesting search engine. Check out their daily government "Newsroom".
yitbos
2050: 67, wearied by the off-color dim, iraqi war vet tom smith opens the box from the back of the closet. three left. only three. just three. but, 150 watts. 150 watts! one hundred and F I F T Y WATTS of 2007 light! bright light. real light. light! tom draws the shades, pulls the chain, and the room glows again, for a time.
A lady I work with said she called the city, which we both live in, what to do with those bulbs. They told her to throw them in the regular trash barrel. I was amazed by that answer.
Okay, where are they?
LEDs are becoming brighter and cheaper. I agree that’s the answer for now. In my experience, CFBs are ok as long as they don’t suffer too many on/off cycles. Otherwise, they don’t last nearly as long as claimed. Besides, I get my incandescent bulbs free. Ace Hardware sells them “free with rebate” twice a year.
Yep! I wonder how long before the disposal of these becomes a "serious environmental problem" and everyone is told to stop using them or they are outlawed? 5, 10 years?
THIS is the age of stupidity.
It’s a recycling center but they also accept trash for normal disposal. The bulbs went into a dumpster headed for the landfill. Treated like any other innocuous trash.
LED’s for cars? Everywhere. I don’t know the stats but I’m guessing most auto light bulbs are now LED’s.
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