European incandescent light bulb ban?
May 1, 2007 – 3:33 pm
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) use about 75% less power than incandescent bulbs.
The current market share of CFL bulbs in the United States is about 6%, up from less than 1% before 2001. That compares dismally with CFL adoption rates in other wealthy countries, such as Japan (80%), Germany (50%) and the United Kingdom (20%). [via]
The European Union is currently studying an incandescent light bulb ban.
The Washington Post also ran an article:
Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquility that discusses some of the reasons that people are not using the new bulbs, which is partially driven by price and perception that they don’t really make a difference.
I have started to replace the old school bulbs with new CFL’s, and little by little, I’m making a difference in my own little corner of the world.
For more information, check out the Energy Star site, and pick one up next time you venture to your favorite local hardware store.
Technorati Tags: incandescent, compact, fluorescent, lightbulb, energy, green
8 Responses to “European incandescent light bulb ban?”
A couple months back, I bought a bunch of these at the local hardware store. I planned on swapping out almost all of the bulbs in the house, in an effort to be greener. On the way home, I was grinning to myself, thinking how much I’d be saving in electricity bills, and how I’d be a better person by helping the environment. It was a real Al Gore moment. When I got home, I started installing the new bulbs. The trouble was, these bulbs are about 25% longer than your average incandescent bulb. (Ok, I admit, I just made that figure up, but I bet it’s close.) The bulbs didn’t fit in most of the lamps in my house. On top of that, they take about 60 seconds to get to their full brightness, which isn’t that big of deal in theory, but it’s kind of annoying when it plays out in real life. In short, I have a closet filled with compact fluorescent lightbulbs that fit exactly two lamps in my house.
By caleb on May 1, 2007
I started replacing all my light bulbs with CFLs last year and I’ve been very impressed with them. For one thing, I can already tell that they last WAY longer than incandescent bulbs. I used to have to drag out the ladder to replace the bulbs in a high light fixture about every three months but I haven’t had a single CFL burn out yet. I’d really prefer LED bulbs eventually, but I’m willing to wait until they’re cheaper.
By Jane on May 1, 2007
Caleb, you mentioned a very common problem: they are a different size. yes, they still fit in the socket, but are much longer.
One other problem I have is that you can’t use the standard CFL’s in lights that dim, and I recently added a bunch of new lights with dimming. The Energy Star website says they exist, but I haven’t seen the dimming CFL’s at Home Depot, so who knows.
By Dustin Jacobsen on May 2, 2007
I’ve replaced nearly all of the bulbs in my apartment with CFL’s for the primary reason that they last 10x longer. My utilities are fixed, so it doesn’t make a difference in my utility bill. I’ll admit I’m pretty lazy when it comes to changing bulbs, so CFL’s are great for me because they last so long.
By Jameson Huckaba on May 2, 2007
I would like to switch my light bulbs out but unfortunately I don’t have the extra money right now do to the fact that “big oil” is gouging me at the pump. ;)
By Chris on May 3, 2007
I’ve had decent experience so far swapping as incadesents fail. Its good to know about the dimming issue – I have a couple ceiling fans that have dimmers. I’ve not had very good luck with the indoor flood bulbs – the outer glass is brittle – I’ve had several break as I screw them in or if they touch the side of the part that finishes off the can light (the ring that is flush to the ceiling). It also seems like the part that screws in the socket doesn’t seem to fit just right…
I’ve noticed that if a CFL blub is used regularly the delay seems to go away… or maybe I’m just half asleep these days…
By Scott on May 8, 2007
I’m thrilled to see so much discussion about energy efficiency, whatever the opinion. As an energy-efficient lighting vendor I’ve found the best method of increasing awareness is simply informing my consumers about the latest products. The fact is that when they purchase energy efficient CFL or LED light bulbs they do see the savings on their energy bills. There is a lot of discussion about government mandates and whatnot; while this does benefit my business, I think simply selling the newer bulbs on their own merit is the best way to go.
By James on Sep 28, 2009