A Bright Idea Goes Global: Nations Worldwide Phasing Out Incandescent Lighting
The effort to replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), light emitting diodes (LED) and other low-energy lighting is quickly becoming a global movement--with countries from Australia to Britain to the United States either implementing or contemplating plans to change their light bulbs for the better. The reason is simple: compact fluorescent lamps use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs, which typically convert into light only about 5 percent of the energy they consume. Although CFLs cost about four times as much as incandescent bulbs, they last 10 times longer, saving most consumers about $30 over the life of each bulb.
Britain Announces Voluntary Plan to Change Light Bulbs and Save Energy
Last week, the United Kingdom announced a voluntary initiative to phase out incandescent light bulbs throughout the country by 2011. British officials estimate that replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs will reduce Britain’s carbon dioxide emissions by 5.5 million tons annually.
"Britain is leading the way in getting rid of energy-guzzling light bulbs and helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint," said Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, apparently forgetting that Australia already led the way seven months earlier with a mandatory program that will phase out incandescent lighting by 2010.
Australia First Country to Replace Incandescent Bulbs with CFLs,br> Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s environment minister, announced the plan in February 2007, saying that Australia’s decision to replace inefficient incandescent lighting over the next three years will cut household lighting costs for Australians by up to 66 percent while reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tons annually once the change is complete.
"If the rest of the world follows our lead," Turnbull said, "this will reduce an amount of energy ... to the tune of five times as much energy as Australia consumes."
Some critics suggested that Australia could be reducing greenhouse gas emissions much more by requiring industrial users to implement energy savings, or endorsing the Kyoto Protocol and its mandatory goals to limit emissions that contribute to global warming.
In response, Turnbull defended the decision to phase out Australia’s 87 million incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent lamps by saying, "It's a little thing, but it's a massive change."
U.S. Considering Move to Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is considering a bill that would require phasing out incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent lamps and other, more efficient lighting. The proposed legislation would require bulbs to be three times more efficient by 2020 and would require 40-, 60-, 75-, and 100-watt incandescent bulbs to be phased out by 2014.
This is actually a pretty big deal, because the United States is the largest consumer of incandescent light bulbs in the world, accounting for nearly one-third of the global market. Proponents of the legislation estimate that the switch to more energy-efficient lighting could save U.S. consumers $6 billion a year in energy costs and reduce energy demand to cancel the need for 80 coal-fired power plants.
It isn’t clear how soon the bill may come to a vote, but it’s quite possible that it will be included in the energy bill that Congress is expected to vote on this month. The bill, which was drafted with input from the nation’s major light-bulb manufacturers, has widespread bipartisan support and few detractors.
"Americans have improved upon nearly all of Thomas Edison's inventions, and this legislation will encourage a new generation of innovators to advance his greatest accomplishment, the light bulb," said Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. "Energy-efficient lighting will save consumers billions in energy costs and help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions."
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Comments
They may save money, but they are ALL made in CHINA ! Is this something that we want to do, import all bulbs from China ? Also there is the issue of disposal. Might want to dig a little and plan a little more before going to all CFL’s