UK Considering Removing Traditional Light Bulbs From Store Shelves By 2009 - BBC

[hatrack]

Traditional light bulbs could taken off the shelves of UK shops within three years and replaced with energy-saving alternatives, the government has said. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been talking to retailers and manufacturers about replacing "inefficient" goods.

An agreement on minimum standards may even come in before the EU sets laws on such items, spokeswoman Penny Fox said. Studies suggested modern bulbs lasted longer and cost less overall, she said.

Figures from the Energy Saving Trust found energy-saving lighting products had an average lifespan of up to 12 times longer than traditional products, with modern bulbs "saving up to £9 a year on electricity bills", Ms Fox said.

"Work is under way in Europe to investigate the scope for setting minimum standards for 14 energy-using products, including commercial lighting," she told the BBC News website. "We understand that domestic lighting will be covered in the next round of studies, which should commence within three to six months."

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6110448.stm

[truthisfreedom]

1. ack, i hate fluorescents. i know we'll be the last country to remove

incandescent bulbs from the store shelves, and i know that efficient lighting would change energy usage a great deal, but man, i love the look of incandescent lighting. what we need is clean solar and wind energy in large enough doses that we can maintain that lovely incandescent look that Edison brought to life without continuing to threaten our planet.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Natural light flourescents are available, but they are more

expensive than standard flourescents. I expect the price will come down as more people switch over to them.

[bperci108]

5. Those compact fluorescents aren't too bad...

...given the energy they save, I'll get used to them.

I don't think incandescents will go away completely, but look for them to get taxed heavily to pay for the increased problems their use creates.

What was that recent illustration?

Something like: "...if every household in the US replaced the three most frequently used lights with energy efficient ones it would be like removing 3.5 million cars from the road."

Something like that... :wow:

[hunter]

6. The color of most modern CF bulbs is good

What you are probably missing is the highlights of a clear incandescent bulb.

The light cast by a naked incandescent filament in a clear bulb is unique. But CF's ought to work fine in any fixture that is frosted or shaded.

[greenparty]

8. Have the same aversion to the pale light

However they do offer kelvin scale temperature variances from stark white to dull orange.The soft white CFL's are close to incadescent and i found if you keep maybe 2 regular bulbs in a multi fixture,you save alot of energy and dont have to sacrifice the look and orange light.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. WOW! A win for BanTheBulb.org

http://www.banthebulb.org

[jpak]

4. They ought to be banned here in the US

or at least taxed (and CF bulbs subsidized) to eliminate the price gap between incandescent and CF bulbs...

[Dead_Parrot]

7. That's an excellent idea...

...which is why it will probably never happen. :(