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Australia to ban old-style light bulbs
Associated Press ^ | 02/20/07 | ROHAN SULLIVAN

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.


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: climatechange; energy
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To: presidio9
I've heard that they blame global warming for recent droughts.

This is how the global warming paranoia has been building. Everything is now blamed on global warming - floods, droughts, heat waves, blistering cold, thunderstorms, tornados, typhoons, hailstorms, excessive snowfall, no snowfall at all, first time snow ever (Kathmandu, Nepal), dormant volcanoes errupting, dormant volcanos not errupting, earthquakes, landslides, glacial melts, glacial build ups, animal migration, bird migration...

And there is no need to prove anything. Its just global warming.

41 posted on 02/20/2007 10:16:00 AM PST by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: HarmlessLovableFuzzball

errupt = erupt.


42 posted on 02/20/2007 10:18:05 AM PST by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: xcamel
I always do a title search. I did one here. I rarely do a subject matter search. If it bothers you that much, you always have the options of either simply not clicking on the story, or seeing a psychiatrist for help with your OCD/anal retentive obsession. If it helps you to post your little scolds, have at it, but I'm not about to alter my behavior to accommodate your neurosis.
43 posted on 02/20/2007 10:22:00 AM PST by presidio9 (There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey)
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To: sine_nomine

Actually, that brings up an intersting point. Is there any truth to the urban legend that actually turning on florescent lamps uses more energy than running them for an entire day. In grammer school, I had a teacher that would flick the lights on and off to get our attention, until she discovered that that was not green-friendly behavior.


44 posted on 02/20/2007 10:24:16 AM PST by presidio9 (There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey)
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To: ctdonath2
just don't have the right color, brightness, stability or warmth

You have to really look at the color temperature of the bulb you are buying...and they vary greatly.
45 posted on 02/20/2007 10:25:37 AM PST by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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To: MPJackal
The real issue is my dimmer switch controlled lights and 3-way lights

Dimmer switched fluor. may be a problem but 3-way are out there.
I'm using 2 in my house. I think they are 60-100-150 watt equivalent.

The one thing I've noticed is there is a delay in the max brightness of fluor. bulbs. I'm noticing several seconds to a minute or so.

46 posted on 02/20/2007 10:29:44 AM PST by Vinnie (You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Jihads You)
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To: Condor51
Fluorescent lamps (bulbs) emit considerably more Lumens (light) per watt than incandescent (tungsten) bulbs.

Yeah, but it's harsh, ugly light.

47 posted on 02/20/2007 10:35:36 AM PST by Ignatz ("I think we should tax all foreigners living abroad.")
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To: CollegeRepublican
"Dimmable bulbs exist, but they are super expensive."

Yes they are. Do they come in interior spotlight style?
48 posted on 02/20/2007 10:35:57 AM PST by MPJackal ("If you are not with us, you are against us.")
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To: Blueflag

Advances in LEDs and fluorescents can produce matching lumens and similar spectra -- so you get the 'warmth' of incandescents.


Boy I havent seen that


49 posted on 02/20/2007 10:41:10 AM PST by Chickensoup (WE are the media....The New Media.)
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To: Ignatz

There are several "color tones" available now in CFL bulbs. The warms do well in a home environment


50 posted on 02/20/2007 10:48:01 AM PST by Starwolf
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To: MPJackal

Yes they are available. I recently changed a bunch of 65W R30 bulbs to a CFL equivalent. The issue is that they need to warm up for about 30 secounds to reach full brightness. However, theya re 1/5 the cost to operate, so when my kids leave them on...


51 posted on 02/20/2007 10:51:01 AM PST by Starwolf
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu

All of our outside lights now have the new spiral bulbs. Yep, you can even get them in yellow (bug light):)


52 posted on 02/20/2007 10:51:38 AM PST by ZIRA
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu
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.

Maybe they could extract something from human embryos to make up the difference. I was kidding about whale oil.
53 posted on 02/20/2007 10:52:02 AM PST by Jaysun (I've never paid for sex in my life. And that's really pissed off a lot of prostitutes.)
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To: Ignatz
***Yeah, but it's harsh, ugly light.***

Yeah it can be with older ones which gave a Blueish hue. But the newer ones are made with 'color options' (temperatures) for different rooms. Like 'Daylight' for a closet.

Light is measured in Kelvin degrees. Daylight (sunlight at noon) is +/- 5200K. Fluorescent can now match that 'color' temp.

Household Incandescent (tungsten) bulb colors are 'cold' at +/-2700K, that's why its 'yellowish' (ever take an indoor picture with "Daylight film" without a Flash?)

The main problem is that we're just used to the yellowish color from tungsten light bulbs in our homes.

54 posted on 02/20/2007 10:53:50 AM PST by Condor51 (Rudy makes John Kerry look like a 'Right Wing Extremist'.)
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To: Starwolf
"theya re 1/5 the cost to operate, so when my kids leave them on..."

I predicted that. When people think they are conserving so much energy by using improved technology, they will stop "practicing" conservation. The overall net gain will be less than expected. I see it in myself now that we have replaced about 75% of our lights. They are still a good idea.
55 posted on 02/20/2007 10:58:42 AM PST by MPJackal ("If you are not with us, you are against us.")
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To: MPJackal
I am sort of fatalistic about this...

I always turn lights off that are not used. When you see the bill every month, it quickly become a habit. Kids never seem to turn off lights. I know I didn't when i was that age.

I also have taken advantage of the incentives offered by the power company in terms of discounted bulbs. Its been a good transition. I have looked at automated and occupancy based lighting but its not quite there in terms of ROI
56 posted on 02/20/2007 12:09:34 PM PST by Starwolf
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To: presidio9
According to one of the Myth-busters' experiments it takes about 30 seconds worth of electricity to switch on a florescent bulb.
57 posted on 02/20/2007 12:28:27 PM PST by YoungCurmudgeon
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To: YoungCurmudgeon


Where would I be without the Myth Busters? I wouldn't know ANYTHING for certain. Intuitively it doesn't make a lot of sense that turning on a florescent used THAT much energy, but I remember hearing that several times when I was a kid.


58 posted on 02/20/2007 12:31:44 PM PST by presidio9 (There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey)
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To: presidio9

I understand that the urban legend is just that. I suppose flicking lights on and off will burn them out sooner. CFLs do take a second to light up. I am not an expert in this area.

I looked at power usage for a year at a church. The bill went up dramatically when there were evening services, the main difference being the lights being on.


59 posted on 02/20/2007 12:51:13 PM PST by sine_nomine (The United States...shall protect each of them against invasion. Article IV, 4. US Constition)
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To: sine_nomine
Motion detector switches help too. I use those outdoors, due to crime and our border security (thanks Bush).

And when you combine them with CFL, in cold weather the lights come on slowly to give an intruder a chance to get away..

60 posted on 02/20/2007 1:55:51 PM PST by Oztrich Boy (History is not Geology)
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