EU to begin phasing out traditional lightbulbs to help curb climate change
By APMonday, August 31, 2009
EU to begin phasing out standard lightbulbs
BRUSSELS — The EU will start making the transition from power-draining lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones Tuesday, the European Commission said.
Several nations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines have already announced they will phase out or restrict sales of traditional bulbs as well. In 2007, President George W. Bush signed a bill that calls for the bulb to be phased out in the U.S. beginning in 2012.
The new European Union rules follow an agreement reached by the 27 EU governments last year to phase out the traditional incandescent lightbulb over three years starting this year to help European countries lower greenhouse gas emissions, the EU executive said Monday.
This aims to curb climate change and to reduce energy bills.
As of Tuesday, old standard frosted lightbulbs and clear bulbs of 100 watts and more will no longer be manufactured or imported into the EU as part of the plan.
The traditional incandescent bulbs are being replaced by long-life fluorescent or halogen lamps.
Consumers will still be able to buy the older bulbs until supplies run out. The EU says the switch from incandescent bulbs to more efficient ones will bring energy savings of 25 percent to 75 percent compared to the traditional bulbs.
The EU’s executive has said the measure will save households up to €50 ($71) a year and pump up to €10 billion ($14 billion) into the economy.
The measure is part of a series of energy-saving measures planned by the EU to cut emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming and to reduce energy expenditure.
Energy-strapped Tajikistan announced Monday it will ban the import of incandescent lightbulbs in an effort to conserve power. The move by the impoverished Central Asian country is meant to lessen Tajikistan’s reliance on imported electricity.
Severe power shortages hit Tajikistan last winter after an import deal broke down. At the peak of the shortages, power was limited to 11 hours a day in the capital, Dushanbe, and about four hours a day elsewhere.
The incandescent bulb, which is little changed since Thomas Edison invented it in the 19th century, uses more power than energy-saving fluorescent lightbulbs and halogen lamps.
Tags: Asia, Billion, Brussels, Central Asia, Eco-friendly Practices, European Union, Global Environmental Issues, Tajikistan
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September 3, 2009: 11:56 am
I think compact fluorescent bulbs are a great idea, but they really need to be recycled and not thrown away, and even more importantly, they should not be manditory. Keep personal choice and freedom instead. |
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August 31, 2009: 7:53 pm
It is extraordinary to ban a safe popular product, The particular error of banning 100W+ ordinary bulbs is that bright CFLs or LEDs are comparatively difficult and expensive to make, Banning frosted lights smacks of particularly unwarranted EU pettiness, for any marginal savings involved. Another problem is that small bright CFLs and LEDs are difficult to make, so that candle/golfball lights are bulkier and may not fit some lamps. Supposed savings don’t hold up for many reasons: Power factor: Few people know that CFLs typically have a power factor of 0.5 - that means that power stations use up twice as much power than what the CFL rating shows. This has to do with current and voltage phase differences set up when CFLs are used. Emissions? |
Brian Dancer