| the EU announcing plans to introduce a | | | | production to replace the 130 million GLS lamps |
| Europe–wide ban on GLS Lamps from | | | | sold each year in the UK (and competition |
| 2009, Gary Walker, Product Manager for Lighting | | | | increases), costs should reduce, even though |
| at Newey & Eyre, asks how the lighting | | | | fewer will be installed because of their longer life. |
| industry and British consumers will face up to life | | | | By and large, shape and size have been |
| without the incandescent lamp? | | | | addressed and while the ‘cold’ |
| As bright ideas go, it doesn’t get much | | | | colour of CFLs has been improved with the latest |
| more obvious than banning the GLS lamp. The | | | | generation of lamps, they will never be able to |
| humble tungsten filament lamp has done a brilliant | | | | replicate the ‘warmth’ of GLS |
| job lighting up the world for the past 120 years, | | | | lamps. |
| but with more energy efficient alternatives now | | | | Another issue that will affect lighting quality is |
| widely available, its days are surely numbered. | | | | dimming. At present there are no domestic |
| Incandescent lamps waste 95% of the energy | | | | dimmers for CFLs. Megaman does offer its DorS |
| they consume as heat. An energy saving | | | | Dimming replacement for 50W Halogen spotlights, |
| fluorescent lamp requires five times less electricity | | | | which with four pre–programmed |
| to do much the same job and saves users | | | | brightness levels can be used with an existing |
| approximately £9 to £12 per lamp | | | | switch. The likes of Osram, Philips and GE, are all |
| each year in energy costs and lasts up to 12 | | | | said to be working on dimmable CFLs, but have |
| times as long. | | | | yet to unveil anything. |
| Their demise began early 2007 when Australia | | | | Those against the ban also point to the issue of |
| declared it would ban incandescent lamps within | | | | recycling as fluorescents contain mercury and |
| three years, which it claims will reduce the | | | | require careful disposal. But as the environmental |
| country’s annual carbon dioxide emissions | | | | lobby keenly point out, three times this amount of |
| by 800,000 tonnes. | | | | mercury is released into the atmosphere through |
| Since then the EU has made its intentions known | | | | the burning of coal to provide the extra electricity |
| and two of the UK’s major retailers have | | | | needed to power an incandescent. As to whether |
| fired the first salvoes in a bid to replace the GLS | | | | the lamp recycling industry will cope with the |
| with energy efficient fluorescents. | | | | ramped up demand, only time will tell. |
| The Co–operative Group became the first | | | | No doubt the debate will continue and it is difficult |
| supermarket chain to announce that it would | | | | to predict how many of these concerns will |
| review its range of lamps and would stop selling | | | | actually be realised, but any ban would need to be |
| tungsten filament lamps in 50 of its stores by | | | | carefully thought out. |
| autumn, with a view to removing them entirely | | | | For instance, while 40W, 60W and 100W GLS |
| from all of its sites. Tesco has also set itself a | | | | lamps probably account for 80% of the |
| target of selling 10 million energy saving lamps in | | | | incandescent market, would a ban mean we have |
| the coming year, up from 2 million last year. | | | | to throw out all our smaller ornamental lamps and |
| Australia declared it would ban incandescent | | | | wall lights that use candle and golf ball lamps? And |
| lamps… which it claims will reduce the | | | | what about low voltage tungsten halogen |
| country’s annual carbon dioxide emissions | | | | downlighters, which are extremely energy |
| by 800,000 tonnes. | | | | hungry? |
| But fluorescents do have their critics. According to | | | | Hopefully, in the short term such lamps will remain |
| the Daily Mail, the Department For Environment, | | | | below the radar of the EU bureaucrats until |
| Food and Rural Affairs’ own figures show | | | | adequate replacements have been developed. And |
| that less than half the fittings in the UK can | | | | that might not be as far fetched as it sounds, as |
| accept a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and | | | | GE is apparently developing an incandescent lamp |
| concluded that Britain’s homeowners will | | | | that matches the effi ciency of CFLs — |
| pay upwards of £3billion for replacements. | | | | and, of course, we have yet to fully exploit the |
| Others argue that price will be a source of | | | | potential of LEDs. |
| contention, but as manufacturers step up | | | | |