From tomorrow, it will be illegal for UK retailers to buy the traditional incandescent light bulb...
European Union Ban On Lightbulbs Leads To A Dim Future
Apart from the very debatable green benefits of introducing this new technology as standard, I am more concerned about the aesthetic and health effects. These new light bulbs are basically your fluorescent strip lights wrapped up into a bulb. The quality of light is shit, whatever some claim. Personally, this kind of light gives me headaches. Also, for people who rely on really good quality light for their work/hobbies, this will be a disaster.
Another point is the effect these new bulbs will have on romance. No flattering light from these buggers. I reckon people will be a) slapping on more make-up and b) drinking more booze - to compensate for the lack of the old-fashioned glow that aids romance. People don't look their best when bathed in this cold, harsh light. It tends to accentuate every tired little line and facial blemish. People sometimes take on the almost ghostly appearance of concentration camp victims.
Though perhaps as an unexpected environmental benefit, these lights will limit population growth by way of being a contraceptive.
(And, on purely a political note, the actual energy savings from this technology will be negligible in terms of its effect on overall EU CO2 emissions. Although they convert 15 per cent more of energy used to light (compared with traditional bulbs), they need to be switched on earlier to warm-up properly and their light production fades over time. Even when fully operational, in tests they don't produce the same amount as light per wattage as their traditional equivalents.
Better technology - i.e. LED bulbs - is well into development, but manufacturers have spent millions developing the current alternative and want to re-coup their losses. So despite it being a very flawed technology, collusion between manufacturers and the EU has forced everyone into a legally binding mess. Another triumph for the disaster which is Brussels?)
