Banning of incandescent lamps

[Carol Anne]

Australia claim the lead in this issue (although Cuba has already done it apparently). Is this to be an overall ban on INC lamps altogether? We have had energy saving lamps for decades, in the form of fluorescent tubes which have been excellent for their utiliatrian purpose, but very few people would wish to choose this harsh and shadow casting form of light in their bedrooms, living rooms or other comfort spaces. I certainly wouldn't want fluorescent lighting all over my home, where the lighting was carefully thought out as part of the interior decoration. Now that there are fluorescents small enough to go into lamp sockets it doesn't stand to reason that everyone would want to have them. What about applications where compact fluorescents wont fit, ie: halogen spots, miniture reflectors, pygmy bulbs etc? Will incandescent bulbs still be available for those who would choose them, but at a higher cost? Imagine a beautiful crystal chandelier which glitters and sparkles when lit with clear incandescent lamps suddenly converted to run on the ugly little replacements for candle lamps that are already on the market..... Yuk.
What a stark and ugly place Australia will be at night in a few years time!

[woodchopper]

There has been some speculation that energy saving lamps have the same carbon footprint as the standard light bulb - yes, they do save energy when producing light but the manufacturing methods use a lot more energy than would ever be used the life of a standard bulb - has anyone seen the results of any research in this matter ?
I suppose I should ask this in Science really ?

[heathfield]

There's a page on low energy lamps here that raises some important questions that aren't being answered.
If the EU is so keen that everyone change over to them, why have they imposed a 66% import duty on those made in China and the Far East?

[Carol Anne]

Excellent link Heathfield.
Concurs with much that I have concluded over time about the facts and figures that we're never told about.

[heathfield]

By the way, did you know these lamps contain mercury? And strictly speaking it's therefore illegal under EU regulations to put them in your rubbish bin, and dump them in landfill sites? Ask your local council how you should dispose of them. You'll probably cause a lot of embarrassment as they try to answer.