Posted on 09/03/2012 9:07:01 AM PDT by Olog-hai
After more than a century lighting up the world, the switch will be flicked off across the EU for the final time on incandescent bulbs on Saturday as the phased ban on their sale is completed.
From 1 September, a European Union directive aimed at reducing the energy use of lighting means that retailers will no longer be allowed to sell 40-Watt and 25-Watt incandescent bulbs. Similar bans came into effect for 60-Watt and 100-Watt incandescent bulbs over the past three years. The restrictions are predicted to save 39 terawatt-hours of electricity across the EU annually by 2020.
Earlier this year, the UK government said the ban would bring an "average annual net benefit" of £108 million ($172 million) to the UK between 2010 and 2020 in energy savings. But the phase-out of incandescents has been met with resistance by some users who say replacement technologies, such as CFLs, halogens and LEDs, do not perform as well. Despite the substantial long-term financial savings promised, the higher upfront price of replacement bulbs has also been criticized by those opposing the ban. …
(Excerpt) Read more at euractiv.com ...
I agree with everything you said — and you said it so well, I won’t repeat it.
For us “northerners” (actually southern Canada, but you know what I mean) there is little or no benefit from the lower heat output of CFLs. Here, heating season and lighting season largely overlap. We have more hours of daylight in the summer, than you do in the south — and therefore use a lot less lighting than we do in the winter (with longer nights). During the winter, the heat from the light bulbs contributes to keeping the house warm.
Regarding the extended life; I’ve been writing the date I install each CFL bulb on the base. That’s where I discovered how important the cycle time is, as you mentioned.
I also have a remote control ceiling fan which originally wouldn't work. I called in a ceiling fan specialist electrician. He explained that the particular remote receiver in this fan (a Hunter) would not work unless I had at least one incandescent bulb installed in its light kit, because somehow the receiver needed the filament in the bulb to pass along its message "Light up, you guys." I switched out one of the CFL bulbs in the light kit for an identical looking incandescent bulb and voila! They ALL then worked. How weird is that?
Now HERE'S 2 problems I bet nobody else here thought of!
Most of the CFLs at Walmart are subsidized, hence the lower price. They even admitted as much when the prices first went down.
That’s what I was wondering. If you just started manufacturing incandescent bulbs and selling them in different wattage??? I can’t believe no one has brought a court challenge against this idiocy. Seems the Fed Govt. should not be able to ban anything so necessary to our lives as “lighting”.
By whom? The U.S Government?
The Chinese Government?
Both federal and state governments.
Since China’s still producing incandescent bulbs, it would not serve their interests to offer any discount whether via subsidy or otherwise for the CFLs
By my own government.
I knew it was crap when they first came out. But I thought the technology had improved (it has, some) enough to where the market could handle it.
Guess I was fooled.
So you found them? More power to ya.
My husband did-we live in MS, apparently it wasn’t difficult at all :) We found three of them.
I don't know if the folks who calculated the cost savings figured in the price difference between incandescent bulbs and their CFL/LED replacements, but I can assure you that it is far more than $0.72.
Nice, isn’t it? 72¢ = 45p at present. So that’s one 58-gram candy bar per year.
I live in a rural area and heat with wood. The incandescent bulb is actually quite good at helping to keep the house warm in winter.
What do I do now? Cut down another tree?
I don't understand, exactly. Are you talking about Radio Frequency? We redid our warehouse and no problems have occurred with radio reception, cell phones or internet service. Is this just a ham radio problem?
I'd like to learn more.
King Canute to preside.
No. No candles - only caves. Candles cause an ever so tiny amount of pollution - but enough to cause all the oceans to rise and wipe out mankind - - well, according to Al Gore...
Bush fell for that bi-partisan crap that the MSM is always talking about when a dem needs help imposing a horrible idea on the population.
Luckily we all have grown up and realize ALL DEMOCRATS ARE LIARS. ANY time we work with them on anything they blame us for THEIR stupidity.
The lesson: NEVER WORK WITH A DEMOCRAT NEVER BELIEVE LIBERAL LIARS.
GW Bush also signed into law McCain-Feingold Act, supposedly using the logic that the Supreme Court would strike it down, which it has only in part by now.
Dumb-ass, doofus, GW Bush. The deplorable gift that keeps on giving.
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