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February 20, 2007

Aussies Make Incandescents Illegal

(Sydney, Australia) Australia is banning incandescent light bulbs because they are, apparently, significant contributors to global warming.

Australia announced plans on Tuesday to ban traditional light bulbs in a move Prime Minister John Howard called a practical step toward slowing climate change.
Claiming a world first for a national government, Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said incandescent lightbulbs would be phased out by 2010 in favour of the more fuel-efficent compact fluorescent bulbs.
He said replacing the traditional coiled filament bulbs invented by Thomas Edison in the 19th century would cut Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by four million tonnes a year by 2015.

I predict that this action will create some nagging, unintended consequences. Typically, when a product is banned and still in demand, which I suspect will happen, a black market will emerge.

Additionally, many applications using incandescent bulbs will have to be addressed in legislation separately. Examples include unique purpose lighting in refrigerators, stoves and other appliances, and ornamental lighting such as holiday lights and chandeliers.

Furthermore, since compact fluorescent bulbs cost considerably more than incandescent bulbs, last considerably longer, and burn cool, theft is virtually guaranteed. Watch Australia give birth to a new class of criminal, light bulb thieves, with all the associated headaches of law enforcement and legal proceedings.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 05:15 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 214 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Not too sure about the newer style bulbs, but don't florescent bulbs contain mercury?

Posted by: Bob R at February 20, 2007 06:54 AM (L+3Uu)

2 Yes, they are considered hazardous waste, and do need to be 'disposed of properly'. But you know these things are going to get smashed all over the place and just how many people are going to call for professionals to clean the mercury out of their house when one of these things breaks inside.

If you have to, go LED.

Posted by: Fred Fry at February 20, 2007 07:42 AM (JXdhy)

3 I saw on Fox that this is be considered here as well.

Of course, right after they take our guns.

Posted by: Dick at February 20, 2007 08:51 AM (XlQVK)

4 Dick dOOd, howrya?

Posted by: jane at February 20, 2007 09:47 AM (XXEg4)

5 The amount of mercury in a CFL is 4mg (about the size of a period in this sentence.) The amount of mercury in your home thermometer is about 3grams = the same amount of mercury in 750 CFL's.

I started using CFL's over a year ago for seeding plants in the winter for my garden. I'm not dead yet. While I usually don't endorse the banning of products, using CFL's in your home is financially and environmentally smart.

Light bulb thieves? haha yeah, well.. the only people I can see it affecting are landlords.

Posted by: MidnightSun at February 20, 2007 09:51 AM (azyiL)

6 My wife always, my dog maybe, my lightbulbs NEVER!

Posted by: Randman at February 20, 2007 11:19 AM (Sal3J)

7 God, I hate flourescent bulbs...They may be financially smarter, but the glare of every flourescent I've ever seen gives me a headache after about an hour and a half.

Posted by: RanbaRal at February 20, 2007 02:47 PM (VvXII)

8 My wife is going to have trouble with this and the big, ugly, crystal monstrosity hanging over our dining table. I know the that girly boy designer must have been getting a kickback from the manufacturer. The silly little bulbs cost $9.00 each. There's a shit load of them and they continuously blow out. I'll take flourescent if it gets me off the dining table changing the damn things.

Posted by: greyrooster at February 20, 2007 09:22 PM (XmI6X)

9 The larger question is how many osamabinhidings will it take to change a flourescent bulb?

Posted by: greyrooster at February 20, 2007 09:23 PM (XmI6X)

10 We use incandecents to heat parts of the chicken coops in the wintertime. I used to use them to heat a small tool shed just enough to keep things from freezing. As for lightbulb thieves, I say count on it. As a former retail employee, I've seen all kinds of shoplifting. If its small, and approaching ten dollars, its sure to get stolen a lot.


     USA, all the way!

Posted by: Michael Weaver at February 21, 2007 05:00 AM (2OHpj)

11 Tsk. Do they have any idea what this is going to do to the workplace? It's already studied that the 60 HZ cycle flickering of flourescents cause exhaustion over a period of time (I should know, working on ships, indoors the entire lighting IS flourescent, except for certain emergency lights, which is weird), not to mention that Flourescents are only energy efficient if you leave them running 24/7 instead of cycling them on/off/on/off/on like most people do to normal lights(start up current is ALWAYS way more than running current, coupled with the fact that a Flourescent bulb is nothing but a lighted up capacitor, requiring little running current).
Watch for Energy bill spikes.

I agree with Fred Fry, if you have to go, Go LED...can't "burn out", very little power usage (comparitively), and last way longer anyway. Sides, I think a "muted glow" of numerous LED's sure beats the glare of a few concentrated light fixtures.

Posted by: Henry at February 21, 2007 08:08 AM (1ii59)

12 Learned something here. Never to old.

Posted by: greyrooster at February 21, 2007 02:39 PM (smCdV)

13 "The larger question is how many osamabinhidings will it take to change a flourescent bulb?"

None, Gayrooster. I'd have you, my bitch, do it for me.

Posted by: osamabinhiding at February 22, 2007 03:54 PM (ZxuJ4)

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February 20, 2007

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