EU To Ban Traditional Light Bulbs Starting 2010

European Union ministers have agreed that traditional high energy filament bulbs are to be banned from 2010. It is an important part of stated goals to improve energy efficiency and meet climate change targets.

Environmentalists are understably thrilled by the official move. But concerns abound over how practical the switch to low energy compact fluorescent lamps will prove to be.

For starters, the traditional bulb costs a mere 38 pence while its replacement weighs in at a ponderous 1.38 Pounds Sterling. Will the replacements be subsidized or are the price points expected to be more comparable by 2010?

Another consideration is performance. The fluorescent replacements take a while to stabilize and have been criticized for being dim and causing headaches. Further, they will be recycled at an additional burden to the taxpayers. It seems the tradeoff between being green and affordability is not ceasing to be an issue time soon.

At the same time, the EU remains committed to reducing energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020 by increasing dependence on renewable sources of energy. This includes a commitment to investigating the use of renewables in aircraft where very little potential for use of alternative energy sources is seen at the moment.