EU agrees phase-out of incandescent bulbs
EU Member States have endorsed the European Commission's proposals for a regulation progressively phasing out incandescent bulbs starting in 2009 and finishing at the end of 2012, the Commission said today.
By enforcing the regulation of switching to energy saving bulbs, EU citizens will save close to 40 TWh (roughly the electrictity consumption of Romania, or the yearly output of 10 power stations of 500 megawatts) and will lead to a reduction of about 15 million tons of CO emission per year.
"This groundbreaking measure delivers a clear message about the EU's commitment to reach its energy efficiency and climate protection targets. By replacing last century lamps by more performant technologies, European homes will keep the same quality of lighting, while saving energy, CO2 and money", said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
The regulation targets lamps typically used in households (in particular incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps) by setting minimum energy efficiency and functionality requirements.
It progressively removes incandescent bulbs from the market in a way that allows manufacturers to adapt their production.
Consumers will still have the choice between long-life compact fluorescent lamps that currently yield the highest energy savings (up to 75% less energy than incandescent lamps), or efficient halogen lamps that are fully equivalent to incandescent bulbs in terms of light quality, providing between 25% and 50% energy savings.
Depending on the number of lamps installed, an average household switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps could make net savings (taking into account higher purchasing price of the lamps) of between €25 and €50 a year on their electricity bill, the Commission said.
The regulation will now be scrutinised by the European Parliament. It is scheduled for formal adoption by the Commission in March 2009.
The Maltese government at the last budget announced an immediate 25c tax per incandescent bulb in order to discourage the use of such bulbs.
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lgalea
Dec 10th 2008, 08:48
What about the small size small wattage lamps fitted to refrigerators, ovens, sewing machines, night lamps etc?
How can you fit an energy saver in these small spaces when such energy savers do not exist?
And why does the eu keep imposing customs duties and levies on energy savers made in China Taiwan etc just to protect the German producers?
Does not the eu believe in free market?
lgalea
Dec 9th 2008, 21:46
An expensive alternative to reduce the carbon footprint by home users when everyone knows that the greatest polluters are the heavy industries in Europe not the householders.
I have asked this question and will ask it again.
How can you fit an energy saver in a fridge, oven, sewing machine, night lamp etc where the bulbs are very small in size and of a very small wattage, 3 to 5 watts at the most and are used intermittently.
This is just another stupid decision by the eu Brusselscrats who simply do not care about the problems they cause with their stupid decisions and whether the people can afford it or not and whether the energy savers can be fitted in all places where the usual bulbs were fitted.
I also agree that there should not be any tax on fluorescent tubes since they are themselves energy savers due to their efficiency when compared with the normal bulbs. Energy savers are simply small fluorescent tubes with internal ballast.
The tax, even on the normal bulbs is simply another dodge by Gonzipn to continue skinning the people alive on the pretext of environmental protection.
J. Schembri
Dec 9th 2008, 20:04
Energy saving lamps do not automatically mean cost saving lamps. Switching on and off ESL's reduces the lifetime of the lamp. I hate subsidies and also hate being coerced to buy things which are supposedly worth buying.
An ESL maybe is good value for money if it is lit continuously , I have yet to see the costing.
What should people like Mr Vella Zarb do when they need to change a lamp from the big chandelier, or what should the minimum wage earner do when he needs to change the bulb of his bedside lamp? Can these people afford paying ten times as much 'to reduce the carbon footprint" ?
What we are not being told is that ESL's lose their luminance .
Installing five ESL's in a house reduces energy costs by a certain amount , but installing another five in the same house does not automatically boil down to the same cost saving of the previous five installed.
Phasing out incandescent lamps is not the right thing to do.
We are being told that every household would save at least €25 , can we see a simple estimate?
C Falzon
Dec 9th 2008, 19:16
It is true that energy saving lamps (the compact fluorescent ones) have their lieftime greatly reduced by frequent switching on and off, however even that reduced lifetime is still much longer than that of an ordinary bulb.
If you want a lamp that is very energy efficient and has no problem with frequently switching on and off then LED lamps are the best choice as they are completely unaffected by switching on/off. They are however still very expensive compared to other types of lamp.
One has also to consider the quality of the lamp one buys. Some of the cheaper energy saving lamps last even less than ordinary lightbulbs. One particular make on the other hand (not sure I can name it here) seems to last for ever as I have never needed to change one of the several I have of that make while other cheaper ones with similar use have been replaced more than once.
Also worth noting is that the most energy efficient lighting for home use is presently the ordinary 'neon tube', especially if fitted with an electronic choke rather than the older type. (LEDs can be slighlty more efficient but only the very expensive ones).
Jean-Pierre Aquilina
Dec 9th 2008, 19:09
@apgrech
Yes there are. They are labelled 'warm white'.
Marisa Bray
Dec 9th 2008, 19:06
Dimmable energy savers are already on the market.
As for energy savers for the classic bronze and/or crystal chandliers (linef), there are 'candle' energy savers for that purpose and you may choose them to give a warm white light, very similar to the frosted, incandescent bulbs and one can hardly tell the difference (I have made the changeover myself and hardly anyone notices the difference... apart that there is now more light since now I can afford to put in bulbs in higher wattage. A 7Watt CFL bulb gives out as much light as a 35Watt incandescent bulb... Say you double that by 5 and you have a nicely lit room for the for just 35Watts! Previousy it would have been some 5 x 25 Watt incandescents, equivalent to 125Watt as a total. One can also opt for a 5Watt energy saver, equivalent in brightness to a 25W incandescent). I bought them through ebay for aprox 3Euros each.
wally vella-zarb
Dec 9th 2008, 18:58
Ms Muscat
"Quite an expensive change don't you think. "
Absolutely! No doubt about that.
I also fail to see the need to tax fluorescent tubes. After all, aren't 'energy savers' the same thing, except that they have a built-in ballast?
monica muscat
Dec 9th 2008, 18:24
Mr Vella-Zarb,
I happen to have a crystal 10 branch double row chandelier. I tried the tapered energy savers and they light beautifully. The problem is that they cost €10 each. Quite an expensive change don't you think. Eventually I will change them but perhaps when they get cheaper, not being any longer the 'new thing',
As for Mr Abela, I completely agree with him. Some rooms or areas in the house need the lights off and on continually. We all know by now that energy savers do not fancy continual switching off and on. Like Mr. Ablela, I think we should all be given the right to choose.
apgrech
Dec 9th 2008, 18:13
It is also important that the suppliers, wholesalers and store owners keep the prices reasonable. Some energy saving light bulbs are too expensive and that can discourage their use.
Are there energy saving bulbs with "yelowish" color instead of just white?
Martin Galea De Giovanni
Dec 9th 2008, 17:40
There are various other alternatives to incandescent bulbs.
More info here:
http://www.foemalta.org/home/index.php/solutions/energy-saving/energy-efficient-lighting
and here
http://www.foemalta.org/home/index.php/solutions/energy-saving/led-lighting
wally vella-zarb
Dec 9th 2008, 17:25
Does anybody else on here still have bronze chandeliers (linef)? I wonder how energy-savers would look on a ten-branch chandelier.
David Buttigieg
Dec 9th 2008, 17:17
@Michael Grech
Halogen (including the efficient ones that will remain on sale) can be dimmed like any normal bulb. Dimmable energy saving bulbs can be found but work on a different principle
Abela A
Dec 9th 2008, 16:46
Let people choose! There are areas of the house where it is not a good idea to have energy saving lights installed esp areas where one needs to switch on a light for only a few minutes. Energy saving lights are not practical in secondary areas of a house, e.g. in washrooms, box rooms, little-used areas and so on, as they are designed not designed to be switched on and off frequently.
Karen Zammit Manduca
Dec 9th 2008, 16:39
I've recently seen advertisements for dimmable energy saving lamps.
Michael Grech
Dec 9th 2008, 16:28
I've been told that you cannot 'dim' these lights. Is this so? .I like to dim my lights,what provisions are being made for those like me who wish to have this facility?