Posted on 02/20/2007 9:38:04 AM PST by presidio9
The Australian government on Tuesday announced plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs across the country. Legislation to gradually restrict the sale of the old-style bulbs could reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons by 2012 and cut household power bills by up to 66 percent, said Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Australia produced almost 565 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2004, official figures show.
Prime Minister John Howard said the plan would help all Australians play a part in cutting harmful gas emissions: "Here's something practical that everybody will participate in."
In incandescent light bulbs, perfected for mass use by Thomas A. Edison in the late 19th century, electricity flows through a filament to create light. Much of the energy, however, is wasted in the form of heat.
Australia is not the only place looking to replace them with fluorescent lighting, which is more efficient and longer lasting.
Last month, a California assemblyman announced he would propose a bill to ban the use of incandescent bulbs in his state. And a New Jersey lawmaker has called for the state to switch to fluorescent lighting in government buildings within three years.
Cuba's Fidel Castro launched a similar program two years ago, sending youth brigades into homes and switching out regular bulbs for energy-saving ones to help battle electrical blackouts around the island.
The idea was later embraced by Castro's friend and ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who announced his own program to save energy and in recent months has given away millions of incandescent bulbs in neighborhoods nationwide.
Under the Australian plan, bulbs that do not comply with energy efficiency targets would be gradually banned from sale. Exemptions may apply for special needs such as medical lighting and oven lights.
Fluorescent bulbs are currently more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but use only about 20 percent of the power to produce the same amount of light and last longer, making them more competitive over time, advocates argue.
Environmentalists welcomed the light bulb plan, but noted than the vast bulk of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come from industry, such as coal-fired power stations.
They urged the government to set national targets for emission reductions and renewable energy.
"It is a good, positive step. But it is a very small step. It needs to be followed through with a lot of different measures," Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Josh Meadows told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Howard has become a global warming convert, conceding in recent months for the first time that human activity is having an effect on rising temperatures.
But he has steadfastly refused to bring Australia into line with most of the world and ratify the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas reductions, arguing that doing so could damage Australia's coal-dependent economy.
I guess the Aussies can say goodbye to easybake ovens...
I keep trying to use compact flourescent bulbs in the house.
They keep sucking, so I keep going back to standard incandescents.
CFB's (or whatever the proper acronymn is) just don't have the right color, brightness, stability or warmth as incandescents - no matter what marketing keeps saying.
From the fine article:
"Under the Australian plan, bulbs that do not comply with energy efficiency targets would be gradually banned from sale. Exemptions may apply for special needs such as medical lighting and oven lights. "
Let's see how they deal with the increased mercury in their landfills in 20 years.
California and NJ have this same goofy bulb idea on the table.
No, no offense, but not true.
Fluorescent lamps (bulbs) emit considerably more Lumens (light) per watt than incandescent (tungsten) bulbs.
Australia should make more nuclear reactors--their country has the largest uranium reserves in the world.
http://www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf
An interesting analysis- CFLs contain 4mg of Hg each, but may reduce Hg emissions to the environment overall by reducing the amount of coal burned.
I'll need a lot more data before I can comment on the truth of that, but it sounds intersting.
Electrical lights burn up a lot of money. I only buy compact flourescents now. They do a great job for 1/4 the energy burn. CFLs are pretty cheap now, too.
Motion detector switches help too. I use those outdoors, due to crime and our border security (thanks Bush).
We had a sound activated switch for the garage door once. When we approached the house and activated the garage door, the light went on. Then it went off later. Kids loved opening the door to the garage and shouting, turning on the light. We donated that switch to our niece and nephew.
Australia has a very low population density. In part, that is because they live on the driest continent, and one that isn't particularly nutrient rich for plants (and therefore for livestock eating those plants).
Think of the electricity that could be saved if we'd just go back to burning whale fat. Environmentalism is the opposite of progress.
At least the driest, generally inhabited continent--Antarctica could be drier, but few people stay there, and it's debatable whether people actually live there.
"Think of the electricity that could be saved if we'd just go back to burning whale fat."
Or from liposuction....
The whale fat from all the whales in the world would probably not meet global energy needs for lighting, along with needlessly causing the extinction of an animal.
Rats, already posted so many comments here.
Are you the FR hall monitor today?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;s=bulbs
presidio9's article is AP; the other one is Reuters. Plus the other one is about ten hours old, and already has plenty of comments.
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