Europe bans incandescents: Fallout begins

comments from our community

• 
  Posted by hardrock997 Fri Sep 4, 2009 3:05pm PDT

  Its a very good move. I hope the indian govt follow it.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by poltergeist Sat Sep 5, 2009 2:35pm PDT

  We have had CFL Bulbs on the Market for about 5 Years in Ireland being Sold alongside Incandescent ones. The first ones in the Shops took about a Minute to Warm up but they are getting more Efficient now,with full Intensity with most CFL's lately at the Flick of a Switch. Although with the Low Powered ones 8 watt Equivalent to 40watt with Incandescent Bulbs they still can take 15 Seconds to fully Light up. A lot of People complained about the Price when they first came out,but now there is often cut Pricing on them in Supermarkets. So not so Dear but still Dearer than Conventional Bulbs. I have CFL's all over the House now as it saves a lot of Money on Electricity Bills. A 20 Watt CFL is Equivalent to 110 Watt Conventional Incandescent Bulb,so these are the Type for the Main Rooms and the 11Watt type I use for the Stairs which is the same as a 60 Watt ordinary Bulb.I have been using these since they came out as indeed a lot of People in Ireland without any worries. The worn Bulbs go for Recycling as there is some Mercury in them and we do not Throw them in our Bins. I have heard that you should keep at least 14 Inches from a Lighted uncovered Bulb because of the UV Rays given off by them . But if it is covered by a Shade or Glass Pearl Globe then you can go closer to it. Dublin Ireland.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Steven Sat Sep 5, 2009 6:32pm PDT

  No discussion on how you use all your dimmers. Or how about specialty bulbs like all the Gxx ones. This is so stupid given the mercury in CFLs. There are huge advancements in LEDs happening (for cost and use in every shape bulb) and everyone should just be patient and wait for those to mature in 5 years. then again, with all of Europe having to now use sucky bulbs, I'm sure LEDs will suddenly have a rapid advancement.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by localguy564 Sun Sep 6, 2009 8:16am PDT

  CFLs are fine is some areas, but fail in others. You can not use CFLs in totally enclosed light fixtures, the CFL burns out very quickly (I have experienced this) . Some of the CFL packaging even says "not for use in enclosed light fixtures". About 50% of my homes light bulbs are CFLs. The other 50% are enclosed enclosed light fixtures, decorative, the CFLs are too bright, the slow start time is a issue, or the bulb is outside ( in winter it gets to -15).

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by poltergeist Sun Sep 6, 2009 12:32pm PDT

  They do not Work with Dimmer Switches, I do not know what the position will be with Fridge Lights. Eventually it will be Led Lighting,these CFL'S will be only Transitional.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Guru Sun Sep 6, 2009 2:51pm PDT

  None of these issues seem particularly difficult to deal with. Btw i found some cool site with lot of tips,check it out. www.goingecogreen.com

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by greywillow Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:23pm PDT

  We have tried the new light bulbs, and for our old eyes they do not work well for reading. Guess we can get a flashlight. The do not even give enough light for over the bathroom sink and look really tacky sticking out. We will stock pile thank you.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by hatesstupidpeople Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:28pm PDT

  Okay, I'm all for saving money and the planet, but these new bulbs, cfls and leds are sooooo f***ing annoying. The glow of them, and everything about them is just horrible!!!! LEDs especially. I hate those stupid light bulbs. Personally, for someone like me, whose very light sensitive, because of medical problems, like migraines and migraine triggers, I say toss these new bulbs out the window. I need!!!! and want the softer glow of the bulbs.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Jordan Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:28pm PDT

  what they don't tell u is the new like have harmful mercury in them that needs to be specially taken care of in case you break one. also, we've got plenty of those new bulbs in my house and the old style seem to last longer. check this story: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=41122 we're switching back to the old bulbs

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by lark.catch22@sbcglobal.net Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:43pm PDT

  I speak-- and this is from experience from 2003-- I decided to switch to those curly cue white bulbs through-out the house, but after about 6 or 7 months it seemed not to agree with me but I could never pinpoint the WHY so I switched back to regular bulbs--- it turned out to be more of a mind thing, I do not know for sure, but no matter whether it was a 40 watt or 150 watt bulb the connection between the eye seeing comfortably and clear was not there-- that drove me to high anxiety with me daily life inside the house took down all curtains and left the blinds open all the time to help bring in light inside the house--- its more like looking thru some kind of burlap material that distorts the clear view---- it took many months for me to see comfortably with the regular bulbs but I did get back to seeing the light like before my bad experience with those lights they call energy savers. I am of the belief that if you switch and have anxiety and do not know the why don't switch back to reg light bulbs too fast because you might have a bad experience. Bottom line people should be able to use the bulb that better helps their eyesight and nerves--- .

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by bulldog129 Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:41pm PDT

  I think that this is a very bad move. Although the medical community might be slow to believe, I know of many people who get severe headaches whenever they are in this type of lighting for too long. I have even seen research that states children perform better in school with incandescent lighting than any other type of lighting except of course natural light.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by FW Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:07am PDT

  I have to say that most of the negative comments here seem very childish to me. I have been using these in all kinds of fixtures for years (the ones I put in my in-laws bathroom 5 years ago are still going strong)with wonderful results. They have them with different degrees of warmth, for 3 way fixtures, etc. Go to the store and check them out. Do they cost more - yes, but they last much longer and save energy. I put 400 watts of light in my kitchen for the cost of 150 with the old bulbs, plus the fixtures that call for a max of 60 watts can really be bright with a much larger bulb. They are great and one way to lower our dependence on oil.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by thestrawdog Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:09am PDT

  Lower our dependence on oil??? Who gets electrical power from oil? Mercury - the product should be banned. They burn out if you turn them off and on much. The light isn't healthy and it does hurt many people. They can't handle low and high temperatures. Making this product mandatory is just another example of how clueless and corporate handled our government is.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by MAIPAL Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:10am PDT

  By using LED's you saved 9 bulbs from procuction and disposal, less wastage.

  Report Abuse
• 
  Posted by Don Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:27am PDT

  CFL's are NOT the end-all, be-all answer to the issues with incandescent bulbs! CFL's have huge downsides for our everyday usage. You can't use them in enclosed fixtures, you can't use them in ceiling fans, and you can't use them near anything that vibrates strongly (like a garage door opener)! They are not very efficient in lighting fixtures that are used for very short periods of time, like bathrooms and closets. If you enjoy replacing overpriced $10 bulbs every month or so, you'll LOVE CFL's because that's how they worked for me. And to top it off, there's the mercury issue. Much more work has to be done before eliminating incandescents. And BY THE WAY, do you morons realize that the majority of CFL's are made in oil and coal-guzzling, highly polluting CHINESE plants? Yeah, you're REALLY helping out the oil and energy problems. Idiots.

  Report Abuse