European Union bans normal light bulbs

Source/s
Daily Mail
Sky News

http://www.energy4you.net/images/CFLmany.JPG

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Traditional lightbulbs will disappear from our shops in just ten days. All conventional pearl, incandescent lightbulbs are being banned by the European Union to slash energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions.

The move covers every type of frosted traditional bulb, from the 60 watt pearl bulbs used in table lamps to more specialised opaque 25 and 40 watt bulbs shaped like golf balls and candles. Clear and frosted 100 watt lightbulbs will also not be on sale from September 1. The measure, introduced with little fanfare, aims to force consumers to fit energy-saving lights.

The Department for Environment said a typical home will save at least £37 a year on electricity bills by fitting low-energy fluorescent and halogen bulbs. Ministers said the move will also slash national carbon emissions by five million tons a year. But independent retailers and critics believe the change has been rushed and badly advertised.

Under the European Directive, manufacturers in Europe will not be able to sell the banned bulbs to retailers. It will also be illegal to import energy-guzzling bulbs from outside the EU. Independent retailer James Shortridge, owner of the Ryness chain, said customers were stockpiling frosted lightbulbs and 100 watt bulbs to beat the ban. He said: 'If you are sensitive to light, you will notice the difference.

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The unelected Fourth Reich European Union has banned lightbulbs, which follows after numerous other bans on all manners of different things, right down from how many millimeters a kiwi can be to be sold, or forcibly thrown away despite being perfectly edible.

You can notice the difference between them, I certainly can anyway. In our Kitchen we have two of the low energy ones as an alternative to the 20+ spotlights (although I only use the spotlights because the low energy ones are that useless, you'd be better doing whatever you're doing in the dark).

If it will apparently save households money every year, let them decide to make that choice, instead of forcing it down on us. I know my room will need to have more lights installed now just to cancel out the loss of light when the normal lightbulbs I have in now, are gone.

Do you agree or disagree with the ban?

Aren't most of the bulbs in that image energy-saving? We mainly use the one in the bottom-right and have some similar but with three tubes and they all do the job fine.

I think this makes sense really. People are too lazy to bother changing by choice and it isn't necessary to continue wasting energy and money with the high-energy bulbs.

meh they're ok for normal lights but in mine/sisters/living room we have dimmer switches, which energy bulbs dont work with and i dont fancy changing them back to normal switches thanks

I think you will find they can't morally and ethically do that ;) Energy-saving lightbulbs are hazardous to people who suffer from epilepsy. Energy saving lightbulbs give off a slight flicker, which can cause quite a few people to go into a epileptic fit, so they will always sell the normal lightbulbs - Homebase, B&Q and so forth got rid of them, but brought them back a few months later because energy-saving lightbulbs were crap - the main reasons were epilepsy AND the fact you can't dim them (quite alot of energy saving lightbulbs just can't dim).

Besides, they're also a waste of money and are terrible to recycle - I think there's a story going around about how toxic the gas and fillaments are. So basically what we have here his a textbook example for Euro-Sceptics about the EU sticking in their unwanted snouts :/

You're kinda late on this as it's already happened last week... but yes, it makes no sense. I was under the impression that shops that already have a stock of the old style bulbs will still be allowed to sell them but not import more, but the article seems to suggest otherwise so not sure on that, gonna be a lot of waste for a move that's meant to save the planet if that is the case.

On an aesthetic note this is gonna end badly for those with candle-style lights or anything like that - as far as I'm aware no-one's started the production of styled energy saving bulbs en masse so we'll have people with those big ugly twisted things on chandeliers and electric candles lol

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Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

You're kinda late on this as it's already happened last week... but yes, it makes no sense. I was under the impression that shops that already have a stock of the old style bulbs will still be allowed to sell them but not import more, but the article seems to suggest otherwise so not sure on that, gonna be a lot of waste for a move that's meant to save the planet if that is the case.

On an aesthetic note this is gonna end badly for those with candle-style lights or anything like that - as far as I'm aware no-one's started the production of styled energy saving bulbs en masse so we'll have people with those big ugly twisted things on chandeliers and electric candles lol

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That's a fair point :P Energy saving light bulbs won't look too good in chandeliers, especially when alot of places like churchs have dimmer switches for these chandeliers to set a mood...

And what about those small bulbs you use for Christmas lights? Not the fairy lights, but the ones slightly bigger you have as table ornaments and in high streets? They're too large to be replaced by LEDs and I'm fairly sure they'll be targetted, and you won't get energy saving "flicker candle bulbs" , which are bulbs usually used in theatrical products which look like a flame flickering.

brb pursuing career as a glassblower so I can cater for this market and get rich

Remember to blow and not to suck ;) I hear getting a mouth full of molten glass can be quite displeasing ;)

the technology will improve greatly to address some of these issues, plus I don't have an issue with the light, the ones I have are very bright =\, so you must have some dodgy ones, the older ones had issues with dimmer switches but newer ones work now, but saying it's better for the environment is misleading cause they have to be destroyed carefully as they contain dangerous chemicals.

to me it's a non-issue, but it is proven to save money.

The ones I got were new and were crap. If I wanted to live in a blue/white washed room, I'd sit in a hospital operating theatre. At least the standard bulbs give off a nice, more natural light than what energy-saving ones do. Heck, they even just turn on :/ Energy saving ones tend to take ages to warm up, which is incredibly annoying! Saving money or not, they are pretty crappy :/

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

I think you will find they can't morally and ethically do that ;) Energy-saving lightbulbs are hazardous to people who suffer from epilepsy. Energy saving lightbulbs give off a slight flicker, which can cause quite a few people to go into a epileptic fit, so they will always sell the normal lightbulbs - Homebase, B&Q and so forth got rid of them, but brought them back a few months later because energy-saving lightbulbs were crap - the main reasons were epilepsy AND the fact you can't dim them (quite alot of energy saving lightbulbs just can't dim).

Besides, they're also a waste of money and are terrible to recycle - I think there's a story going around about how toxic the gas and fillaments are. So basically what we have here his a textbook example for Euro-Sceptics about the EU sticking in their unwanted snouts :/

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Didn't know any of that... Very interesting.

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Originally Posted by alexxxxx

the technology will improve greatly to address some of these issues, plus I don't have an issue with the light, the ones I have are very bright =\, so you must have some dodgy ones, the older ones had issues with dimmer switches but newer ones work now, but saying it's better for the environment is misleading cause they have to be destroyed carefully as they contain dangerous chemicals.

to me it's a non-issue, but it is proven to save money.

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I agree with this though ^

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

The ones I got were new and were crap. If I wanted to live in a blue/white washed room, I'd sit in a hospital operating theatre. At least the standard bulbs give off a nice, more natural light than what energy-saving ones do. Heck, they even just turn on :/ Energy saving ones tend to take ages to warm up, which is incredibly annoying! Saving money or not, they are pretty crappy :/

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None of ours are blue/white, more like creamy/white (normal) nor do they take time to warm up. I noticed some flicker though once they've been switched off. This isn't very common however, as I haven't seen it for a couple of years now.

It is only really a good move if they do the same with halogen bulbs and things like tht too. Also, with things like cities and the amount of office blocks all light up 24/7 like massive candels.

Its wrong how they enforce things like this on us but massive corporatins get away with things like mentioned above. It really annoys me.

Well they are good, but the appearance is horrible. As most rooms in our house have chandlers, it's going to look horrible.

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Originally Posted by Robald

None of ours are blue/white, more like creamy/white (normal) nor do they take time to warm up. I noticed some flicker though once they've been switched off. This isn't very common however, as I haven't seen it for a couple of years now.

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Mine were, and I'm scarred for life now :( Unless you're using the ones that have a cover over them to make them appear white or "warm" coloured? I used them in a chandelier and it did feel like walking into a hospital operating theatre - all I needed to do was lay on the table and it would feel complete :P They look dreadful in chandeliers too, as mentioned by FryingJebus :)

No lol, I really don't know what you're talking about :P. The one in my room main light has three tubes and is bigger and the one in my lamp also has three tubes but they're smaller and not side by side - kind of in a triangular formation. The light from them is fine.

Only one room in our house still uses normal light bulbs, with the rest of the rooms use energy saving bulbs. To be honast, when you first switch to energy saving bulbs, you can tell the difference, but you easily get used to them. Good move from the EU in my opinion.

sounds good to me.

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Originally Posted by Robald

No lol, I really don't know what you're talking about :P. The one in my room main light has three tubes and is bigger and the one in my lamp also has three tubes but they're smaller and not side by side - kind of in a triangular formation. The light from them is fine.

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Must be the room they're in, they look terrible in my house :P

We refuse to use them anyway, with an epileptic dog it's a terrible idea, and you don't necessarily have to be epileptic to get fits from the bulbs either -you can happily watch a film with flashing lights because you can recognise it, but with quick flashes from energy saving lightbulbs it goes unnoticed :)

My mum is epileptic but luckily they have no effect on her.