Ban The Bulb : Dr Matt Prescott : www.banthebulb.org

EU considers VAT cut on energy saving light bulbs

2008-06-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Two years after the Ban The Bulb campaign originally proposed that the VAT applied to energy saving light bulbs should be reduced from 17.5% to 5%, the British and French governments have proposed EU-wide measures to reduce VAT for energy saving goods, which look like coming into force in all of the EU's 27 countries.

The Ban The Bulb campaign was orginally told by both the EU's tax office and DEFRAthat such a move was impossible, due to the complexity of re-opening VAT arrangements, so takes some pride in having pushed for this significant development.

Courtesy of EuActiv

Heads of state and government from the EU’s 27 member states agreed to consider a Franco-British proposal to cut value-added tax (VAT) on certain environmentally-friendly goods, such as energy efficient light bulbs and insulation materials.

The plan to change the EU’s tax rules – first pushed for by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in July 2007 – initially looked doomed to failure, due to a lack of support from other nations.

Yet, the final conclusions from the Spring Summit meeting, released on 14 March, invite the Commission to "examine areas where economic instruments, including VAT rates, can have a role to play to increase the use of energy-efficient goods and energy-saving materials" - a feat appararently achieved thanks to Brown's intense lobbying of other EU leaders.

According to him, products that could benefit from a reduced VAT rate of 5%, rather than the current minimum of 15%, include cars with reduced CO2 emission, insulation materials, efficient light bulbs and energy-efficient domestic appliances.

The move came as leaders restated their commitment to cutting greenhouse emissions and combating global warming (EurActiv 17/03/08).

However, the real test will come once the Commission – generally in favour of a greater harmonisation of VAT rates and the use of taxes as a tool for "greening" the EU economy – presents its new VAT plans in the summer.

They will require the unanimous backing of all 27 EU member states. Yet, any change in VAT rates across the EU remains a very sensitive issue, with many countries fearing the move could make them lose out on vast revenues generated by their VAT.

Another issue will be that of selecting which products are to be included in the list, with some saying a static list will not work, as technology evolves so fast that what is energy-efficient today won't be tomorrow.

Positions:

"I think people have been persuaded by the argument that we should look at this very carefully," said UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after the meeting, insisting the statement made by leaders on VAT was a sign of "substantial progress" on the issue.

"VAT is a uniquely European tax. Europe has now got an energy policy to cut carbon emissions […] If - whether it be lightbulbs, or fridges or household goods generally, or whether it be the insulation materials that make for more energy efficient homes - if we can cut the rates of VAT, then I believe that will be a good thing for Europe," he said.

"Over the next few months I think other countries will join the debate that France and Britain have already started," he added.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was "very satisfied" that green VAT was mentioned in the summit conclusions, although he conceded that the debate was far from over and that a number of countries remained opposed.

"We have not taken the decision - not yet - but the Council is asking the Commission to reflect and make proposals on the matter. You know that [discussions on] reduced VAT are a hell of a fight, so we are not there yet. But I can see more density in the Council’s communications. When you recall the rigidity of debates on the issue of VAT, this is an event.

While green NGOs are generally favourable to such VAT reductions to support the purchase of energy-efficient products, industry is divided on the question. According to t he European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), the current VAT rules create a "perverse incentive in favour of energy consumption, which conflicts with the goals of the EU in terms of energy and environmental policy". But, the European association of household appliance manufacturers (CECED) cautioned against any reduction of VAT rates to promote the uptake of energy-efficient goods. It said this would "lower the value of the product in the eyes of the consumer […] contrary to the signal we should be sending out, which is that energy efficiency has a value".
Next steps:

* Summer 2008: Commission due to bring forward new legislative proposals on harmonising EU VAT rates EU to consider VAT cuts on green goods

Current EU rules on value-added tax (VAT), spelled out in the 2006 VAT Directive external Pdf external , specify that member states must subject supplies of goods and services to a rate of at least 15%.

However, they also allow countries to apply reduced rates (never less than 5%) in a broad range of areas deemed essential, like medicines, or labour-intensive services, including renovation of private dwellings, cleaning and hairdressing (EurActiv 27/07/06).

While reduced rates for energy consumption are also allowed to ensure poorer households have access to energy, social considerations rather than 'green' objectives have traditionally driven the selection of items on the list.

The EU executive is due to bring forward new legislative proposals on VAT rates in the summer of 2008 with a view to putting some order to this highly disparate and complex VAT structure and create some additional certainty for businesses and consumers.

China : co-ordinated efforts to make CFLs 90% cheaper

2008-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

The China Daily has published a report which says that National Development and Reform Commission has established a subsidy for the makers of energy saving light bulbs which will reduce the cost of 150 million compact fluorescent lamps by 2010.

Additional subsidies by Beijing's municipal government and district governments mean that CFLs will soon be available in Beijing for only 10% of their original cost.

Energy-saving light bulbs do save energy, but many residents refuse to use them simply because they are several times more expensive than the traditional versions. They do not see the long-term benefits of saving energy, focusing instead on the bulbs' higher up-front costs.

Still, people really cannot be blamed for this situation. They need to be persuaded to see the long-term benefits of adopting such technology.

A new scheme set up by the National Development and Reform Commission to subsidize the makers of energy-saving light bulbs will cut the prices of such bulbs in half, bringing them to a level that consumers will be able to accept.

It is estimated that the price cuts will unleash the sale of 150 million energy-efficient light bulbs to residents and working units in the remaining three years of the 11th-Five-Year Plan period (2006-10). As a result, carbon dioxide emissions are projected to fall by 29 million tons.

The program is a great idea indeed. It will not only help the country hit its goal of cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and reducing polluting emissions by 10 percent by the end of 2010, but it will also support the central government's plan to return money to taxpayers in the form of benefits.

Meanwhile, Beijing's municipal government will subsidize an additional 30 percent worth of price cuts, and district governments will contribute another 10 percent, making energy-saving light bulbs just a tenth of their original cost.

Beijing will implement the scheme on trial basis in its downtown West District, with the goal of getting all families use the bulbs. The authorities hope the cheap prices will bring this target within easy reach.

Beijing has undoubtedly set a good example for the rest of the country. It is hoped that other provinces and cities will follow suit.

In a country with a population of 1.3 billion people, getting every single person to voluntarily take part in the campaign to save energy will have a huge impact on the amount of resources consumed and therefore the amount of pollution produced.

Looked at from this perspective, the plan to put energy-saving light bulbs in every home should represent a massive effort on the part of the public to protect the environment.

The Sun: light bulb distribution project a big success

2008-01-25T00:11:00.000-08:00

In a high innovative collaboration which involved Scottish and Southern Energy, Tesco and CoolNRG, the UK's biggest newspaper, The Sun, has distributed 4 million energy saving light bulbs in a single day.

Their special offer was heavily promoted for the week leading up to the distribution of light bulbs last Saturday.

This is one of the best examples in the world of a media organisation using its ability to communicate with large numbers of people to explain the benefits of using energy saving light bulbs and helping ordinary people to become actively involved in efforts to tackle climate change.

Congratulations to The Sun for doing something different, which was such a huge success!

Their innovation even helped them to increase their circulation by 10% to 4 million. This isn't anything to be sniffed at, especially in an era of declining newspaper circulations.

This is how the Media Guardian reported on what happened:

Saturday's edition of the Sun, which offered readers two free green lightbulbs, was a promotional success, boosting circulation to nearly 4m copies.

Sales soared by 408,000 copies compared with the previous Saturday after the Sun offered readers two free energy-saving lightbulbs, which they could pick up at newsagents and supermarkets selling the paper.

On Saturday the Sun normally sells in the region of 3.5m copies, but Saturday's sale was 3,908,000.

"We practically sold out," one Sun executive said. "We are gobsmacked."

The Sun turned half of its front page green for the promotion, which offered the eco-friendly lightbulbs to readers who bought the paper at more than 4,000 independent newsagents and stores including Tesco, Asda, WH Smith, Sainsbury's, Somerfield and Morrisons.

"Help save the world - and £13 into the bargain," the paper told readers, saying that the £4 pack of light bulbs, provided by Southern Electric, could lead to power bill savings of £9 annually for each reader.

The Sun also offered readers the chance to win an eco-friendly Toyota Prius Hybrid.

Last July, when the Mail on Sunday gave away Prince's new unreleased CD, Planet Earth, the paper sold an extra 600,000 copies, hitting a circulation of 2,800,846.

But the following week it lost most of those extra sales, selling only 31,000 copies above its base sale the week before the giveaway.

Last weekend the Daily Mail attempted a spoiler, offering readers two free energy saving bulbs "worth £6".

But the Mail failed to put in place a distribution deal and readers had to send for their bulbs in the post.

The Sun's promotion could not have been better timed to impress News International's new boss, James Murdoch, who arrived at the company from BSkyB in December.

Earlier this month Murdoch pledged to make News International carbon neutral.

Migraines, rashes, peer-reviewed science?

2008-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Dear BBC,

I am very disappointed that you have not asked for any peer-reviewed science to support the claims that compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) "worsen rashes" or "cause migraines".

These are very big and broad anecdotal claims, which have not been substantiated scientifically. Yet your headlines create the clear impression that the views expressed by individuals, interest groups and 'experts' can be treated as though they were robust statements of fact.

I run the Ban The Bulb campaign (www.banthebulb.org) and have asked for carefully enforced evidence-based medical exemptions for two years (please see my campaign goals), yet I must report that I have not found, or been sent, any science which backs up the claims made by migraine sufferers.

It is well known that migraines can be caused by stress, food and daylight, so saying that CFLs are responsible for light-sensitive medical conditions, while ignoring all of the other everyday triggers is a significant claim to make and grossly unscientific.

It would not be difficult to conduct experiments which compared the effects of CFLs on control and experimental groups as part of a properly designed medical trial and to publish the results in the form of a peer-reviewed article within a credible journal.

Similarly, the claims that rashes are worsened by CFLs assumes that someone is using very outdated fluorescent tubes. Fortunately the technologies incorporated into a CFL have moved on since they were first made available in large numbers, over 30 years ago.

The Ban The Bulb campaign has asked for better information on the boxes of CFLs and for better procedures to recycle the 4-6mg of mercury contained within each lamp ever since the campaign was established (in Feb 2005) so I appreciate your highlighting of this issue.

Overall, however, I wish that you had applied the same rigour and sceptism to these medical claims as you have devoted to interrogating the science available for climate change.

Please see my articles for BBC News Online's Green Room if you want to find out about the positive environmental benefits of using low energy light bulbs, in terms of reducing greenhouse gas and mercury emissions into the atmosphere or why 30 countries have now agreed to phase out
the use of incandescent light bulbs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4667354.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4922496.stm

Yours sincerely,

Dr Matt Prescott
Director, Ban The Bulb
www.banthebulb.org

Even the Today Programme enjoyed a good kick at the erstwhile low energy light bulb...

Letter to Editor of The Guardian : Lionel Shriver column

2008-01-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Ban The Bulb has sent the following letter to the Editor of The Guardian following the publication of an article by a columnist called Lionel Shriver.

Dear Sir,

I am writing as a result of the column published by Lionel Shriver on Thursday 3 January, 2008.

Having successfully proposed the banning of incandescent light bulbs as an easy first step in our efforts to reduce the waste of energy, cut carbon emissions and save money I was very disappointed that The Guardian decided to publish so many unfair and ill-informed comments.

I understand that Lionel was only writing a frivolous and light-hearted column, but I still feel that it was extremely harmful of your newspaper to suggest that there are no compact fluorescent lamps that could produce a decent quality of light and that it was a good idea to stockpile wasteful incandescent light bulbs.

Lionel was right when she said that a 20 watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFLs) takes more energy (4kWh) to make than an equivalent incandescent light bulb (1kWh). However, she failed to mention that a CFL also lasted 6-15 times longer (6000-15000 hours) and used 80 watts less electricity for every moment of it's life.

In addition, a good quality CFL, with pleasant light properties and a high level of build quality and performance, could save its owner £45 - £130 of electricity over it's lifetime while only costing 60p - £4.00 more to buy.

Please see the following review of different designs of compact fluorescent lamp, which I recently wrote for your own newspaper.

As with all things if you buy a cheap CFL, which relies on basic and old technologies, you might not get the performance you would like. This does not mean that better and more aesthetically pleasing CFLs are not available.

The mercury recycling issue associated with CFLs does indeed need to be more adequately addressed by retailers and city councils, but the excess electricity used to power an incandescent releases almost three times more mercury into the atmosphere than the 4mg contained within a CFL. At least with a CFL the mercury is contained and the option of recycling exists.

Lionel was also right to say that there are reasons to be concerned by the lack of detail and urgency in the UK government's and the EU's proposals to phase out and ban incandescent light bulbs.

If light bulbs bans cannot be coherently implemented in a rapid and successful fashion how are we ever going to phase out any of the bigger and more problematic technologies which also waste vast amounts of energy unnecessarily?

Personally, I am extremely worried by the lighting industry's calls for 10+ years to achieve the 60-70% energy savings which are already possible with today's CFLs (and which I might add will shortly be beaten by LEDs).

The manufacturers have invested in high-efficiency incandescents which use 30% less electricity than today's incandescents and understandably they want to see a return on this investment, but this does not mean we should settle for half the energy savings that are already possible.

I would therefore have liked to have seen Lionel use her public platform to call for technology neutral performance criteria which allowed CFLs to become the new minimum standard.

If this was the case that there can be little doubt that plenty of new and better lighting technologies would be developed and used within 3-5 years.

Incandescents were invented over 120 years ago, and could be replaced by many superior technologies if only the right regulations and financial incentives were put in place.

Saying that all CFLs are rubbish and that there are no decent alternatives to incandescents is factually incorrect and could slow the uptake of the many energy efficient technologies, which the latest climate change science tells us need to be brought to market as soon and widely as possible.

As things stand, the proposed domestic light bulb bans are going to be phased in over several years and it will cost billions more to produce extra electricity needed to continue powering ever more incandescents and halogen spot lights, by building new power stations, than it will
to change the small proportion of the country's energy guzzling light fittings which cannot accommodate CFLs or LEDs.

I haven't even attempted to calculate costs associated with the impacts of climate change or our need to secure energy supplies from some of the most unstable countries and regions in the world, but these costs definitely shouldn't be ignored by those who say they cannot be bothered to
change their light bulbs.

Until a light bulb ban was proposed and defended on hard-headed technological, economic and scientific grounds many people had the same prejudices as Lionel.

To date, over 30 countries (including the members of the EU, the US, China and Australia) have had a look at the available lighting technologies and decided that the case for the modest and painless banning of domestic incandescent light bulbs stacks up.

The UK's ban of incandescents will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 2-3 million tonnes, similarly the EU's annual emissions will be reduced by 23 million tonnes while the Chinese government's decision to stop manufacturing 70% of the world's incandescent light bulbs will reduce the world's annual carbon emissions by even more.

I sincerely hope that you will consider balancing Lionel's personal comments by highlighting some of the ways in which CFLs and other energy saving technologies could become more widely used and, with the minimum of sacrifice, play a significant part in our efforts to tackle
climate change.

Warmest regards

Matt

Dr Matt Prescott
Director, Ban The Ban
www.banthebulb.org

UK plans to phase out 150W, 100W, 60W : update

2008-01-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

In September 2007 the UK's retailers agreed to stop replacing their stock of 150W incandescent light bulbs in Jan 2008, so I thought it might be a good idea to post exactly what was announced by the UK government and the country's retailers following a collaboration with the big energy utilities.

In summary, in Jan 2008, we can expect to see the retailers voluntarily stopping the replacement of 150W domestic incandescents.

Assuming all goes well at the UK and EU levels, 100W incandescent will then stop being sold in Jan 2009, 60W incandescents will stop being sold in 2010, and the more difficult to replace designs of light bulb will be given longer to cease being sold.

Binding EU-wide ban proposals are due to be tabled in 2009 and then expected to start coming into force during 2011 or 2012.

NEWS RELEASE
Ref: 328/07
Date: 27 September 2007

Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960
Energy guzzling lightbulbs phase out to start next year

The most energy-guzzling light bulbs in Britain will start disappearing from shop shelves early next year as part of efforts to cut CO2 emissions, Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn said today.

This voluntary initiative, which is being led by major retailers and energy suppliers, will see energy efficient light bulbs replace their least efficient equivalents on shop shelves over the next four years.

Its aim is to save up to 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2012 from UK electricity generation – the equivalent to the carbon emissions of a typical 1 Giga Watt coal fired power station.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in March, while Chancellor of the Exchequer, his aim for the UK to be one of the first countries to phase out inefficient light bulbs and set an ambitious target date to achieve that by the end of 2011, ahead of possible actions by the EU to ban these products altogether.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said:

"Britain is leading the way in getting rid of energy-guzzling light bulbs and helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint. Choosing energy saving light bulbs can help tackle climate change, and also cut household bills, with each bulb saving up to £60 over its lifetime.

"I am delighted that major companies have said they are prepared to help deliver this ambitious timetable and offer products which will help their own customers play their part in combating climate change.

"But there are many more energy hungry gadgets on sale in shops that waste too much energy. That's why I want to see today's initiative widened. I want to see more retailers, manufacturers and service providers taking action to phase out the least efficient products from their ranges, for example, certain set top boxes and TVs, and so help offer greener choices to their customers."

Kevin Hawkins, Director General of the British Retail Consortium said:

"Retailers are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and play an active role in helping consumers reduce their own environmental impact. This is just the latest in a number of initiatives in which retailers are helping to shape consumer habits through the promotion
of energy saving products. We look forward to working closely with Government and manufacturers in the lead up to the 2011 deadline to ensure the supply of energy saving light bulbs matches demand, and that they become a viable alternative to conventional light bulbs for consumers of all incomes"

Keven Verdun, Chief Executive of the Lighting Association said:

'The UK lighting suppliers strongly support the Government's ambition in this initiative. For many years the European lamp industry has promoted the benefits of phasing out energy inefficient light bulbs. In June 2007 the industry presented its own proposals for EU legislation to phase out inefficient light bulbs across the whole of Europe, commencing 2009. We welcome the positive support of governments for this transition to more efficient lighting technologies which we believe can make a substantial contribution to reducing our energy consumption and CO2 emissions."

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust said:

"We fully support the idea of phasing out inefficient lighting in favour of energy efficient light-bulbs. In most homes, lighting accounts for 10 – 15% of the electricity bill and UK households currently use £1.8 billion worth of electricity every year on lighting. An energy saving light bulb can last up to 10 times longer than a non-efficient version. Just one energy saving bulb could save up to £7 a year, fit all the lights in your house with energy saving
bulbs and you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs. If everyone in the UK installed three energy saving lightbulbs, we would save enough energy to power all the UK's street lighting for a year."

Duncan Sedgwick, Chief Executive of the Energy Retail Association, said:

"Britain's major energy suppliers welcome this move and are committed to distributing low energy light bulbs to households across the country over this period. This is building on the 43 million low energy light bulbs that they have already distributed through their current energy efficiency commitment."

Energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and contribute to tackling climate change because they use only a fifth to a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light.

CFLs are also cost effective. Advice from the Energy Saving Trust suggests that because it will last up to 10 times longer than a traditional bulb, just one energy saving bulb could save up to £7 a year and, depending on the length of time lights are in use every day, could save around £60 before it needs replacing. Fit all the lights in your house with energy saving bulbs and you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs.

In the UK £140 million a year is wasted by leaving lights switched on unnecessarily. This causes 900,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Each house currently has on average around 23.5 light bulbs.

Notes to editors

1. The Government has proposed, as an illustrative schedule for the phase out of inefficient lamps, that retailers might want to follow:

* By January 2008, cease replacing stock of all inefficient (General Lighting Service, GLS) A-shaped incandescent lamps of energy rating higher than 100W (predominantly 150W lamps).

* By January 2009, cease selling all inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps of energy rating higher than 60W (predominantly 150W lamps, 100W lamps, plus some 75W lamps)

* By January 2010, cease selling all GLS A-shaped lamps of efficacy of energy rating higher than 40W (predominantly 60W lamps)

* By 31 December 2011, cease selling all remaining inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps and 60W "candle" and "golfball" lamps. (predominantly 40W and 25W A-shaped GLS bulbs, and 60W candles and golfballs).

At the moment, we expect candles and golfballs, tungsten halogen lamps and lamps supplied with non-lighting electrical appliances to remain on sale, because suitable energy-efficient alternatives do not currently exist.

2. The following retailers support this initiative: ASDA, B&Q, The Co-operative Group, Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase), IKEA, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose, Wickes, Woolworths, British Retail Consortium, Association of Convenience Stores and the British Hardware Federation. It is also being promoted through the major energy companies as part of their activities through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).

3. The next phase is that the Government will be issuing a public consultation paper on the detailed analysis, targets and standards that we would like to achieve for domestic lighting products in the UK, with a view to updating the illustrative phase out schedule above.

4. The EU is expected to bring forward its proposals for lighting measures under the Framework Directive for the Eco-design of Energy Using Products (the EUP Directive). Implementing measures will set specific and potentially compulsory standards for several of the least efficient street, office/industry and domestic lighting products destined for the European market in order that they meet energy efficiency, as well as other, requirements. Proposals for street and office lighting are due to be agreed by the end of 2008. Work on the domestic lighting begun at the beginning of June. The Commission is expected to table a proposal by the end of 2009.

5. Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock today also wrote to retailers to progress the initiative announced in Budget 2006 to encourage more energy efficient set top boxes and other consumer electronics, including setting targets to reduce stand-by power.

6. Defra launched its ActOnCO2 carbon calculator www.direct.gov.uk/actonco2 as a public trial version on 20 June. There have been over 300,000 visits so far. The calculator helps people make the link between their own actions and climate change. Individuals or households can calculate the carbon footprint resulting from their home, appliances and personal travel using Government
approved data and methodologies. Users can also receive a personalised action plan with tips for reducing their carbon emissions. The calculator takes account of lighting in its home section.

7. Under the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), electricity and gas suppliers are required to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency. They do this by encouraging householders to take up measures like cavity wall and loft insulation and energy efficient lights. The current phase of EEC is from 2005-08 and the Government has recently consulted on the third phase, to be called the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, from April 2008 to March 2011. At least 10 million households received measures under the first phase of EEC (2002-05), which stimulated £600m of investment in energy efficiency and delivered net benefits to householders in excess of £3 billion. It will achieve carbon savings of around 1.1 MtC02 annually by 2010. EEC2 is at broadly double the level of EEC1 and is expected to save around 1.8 MtC02 annually by 2010. CERT is proposed to roughly double the activity under EEC2 and is expected to achieve an annual saving of about 4.0 MtCO2 by 2010.

8. The European Lamp Companies' Federation proposal for Domestic lighting, published June 2007 (http://www.elcfed.org – Latest News), sets out the EU industry's full position and proposals to the European Commission for EU legislation regarding the phase out of inefficient bulbs. These proposals are intended to allow time for a smooth switch to high-efficiency halogen and compact fluorescent lamps and the development of LED and high efficiency incandescent lamps. Contact
Jarita Christie, ELC Public Affairs Manager on +32 485 890 070 for further information.

President Bush announces US plan to phase out incandescents

2007-12-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

President Bush has signed an Energy Bill which will phase-out 100-watt incandescent light bulbs in 2012 and 40-watt incandescent light bulbs by 2014.

All light bulbs must use 25 percent to 30 percent less 2014 (which means that the next generation of "high-efficiency" incandescents will remain permitted) and be 70% more efficient (the same as today's compact fluorescent lamps) by 2020.

The Ban The Bulb campaign is disappointed that it will take the US at least another 12 years to use energy efficient lighting technologies which are already available, and sees this legislation as a missed opportunity to make a 70% cut in energy use within 3-5 years.

The Daily Green has reported the following...

As the global shift toward green continues, Congress has shown they are taking concerns over climate change, pollution and resource use seriously. Can it be said that they're starting to see the light?

Although a recent bid to force electric companies to increase wind and solar power to 15% of total electrical output by 2020 failed, Congress is getting close to passing an energy bill that contains a little-known provision designed to phase out the 125-year-old incandescent light bulb in the next four to 12 years. Instead the future will be lit with next generation energy-efficient lighting, as USA Today reports.

Under the measure, all light bulbs must use 25% to 30% less energy than today's products by 2012 to 2014. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70% more efficient.

Compact fluorescent bulbs already meet that 70% efficiency standard. They also last six to 10 times longer than incandescents. Compact fluorescents now cost around $2, vs. about 50 cents for an incandescent. Halogen bulbs, specially designed energy-saving incandescents and the emerging light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

The new rules are expected to save consumers $40 billion in energy and other costs from 2012 to 2030, avoid construction of 14 coal-fired power plants, and cut global-warming emissions by at least 51 million tons of carbon annually, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The move to ban the bulb isn't wholly surprising, given similar announcements by Australia, Canada and Ireland, as well as discussions in the European Union and New Zealand. California legislators have discussed a possible state-wide ban.

Any mandatory changes to consumer behavior is going to rankle some critics. But looking back in history, most become widely accepted and appreciated in time for their wide benefits to society. Think of leaded gasoline, radium dinner plates, mercury thermometers, seat belts and child-proof containers. A few decades from now, people may look back on incandescent light bulbs as relics so inefficient that they are dangerous.

Greenpeace Ireland "Ban The Bulb Day" + viral marketing

2007-12-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

Greenpeace has just staged a "Ban The Bulb Day" in Ireland and produced an advert targetting the lads market.

UPDATE:

(Dublin 6th Dec) Irish Environment Minister, John Gormley today announced he will develop a national energy efficiency standard for lightbulbs, which will see an end to the use of incandescent bulbs by January 2009.

Mr Gormley said the changes would result in emissions savings of up to 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from residential lighting alone. He estimated it would also save consumers about €185 million per year in electricity costs.

Greenpeace launch a Ban The Bulb campaign in India

2007-10-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

Greenpeace India have launched their own, unaffiliated, Ban The Bulb campaign calling for legislation to phase out incandescents in India.

A global switch-over to efficient lighting systems will trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth, the International Energy Agency says in a report, which it claims is the first global survey of lighting uses and costs. Nineteen per cent of the world's energy consumption is given over to lighting.

Incandescent bulbs, which are widely used across the world, are the biggest culprits in emitting carbon dioxide. The report also says though incandescent bulbs are the biggest efficiency offender, fluorescent tubes are the biggest consumer as they are extensively deployed in business premises who are basically just bad at turning them off.

The Greenpeace campaign 'Ban the Bulb' has been launched in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore.

Greenpeace is campaigning for a legislation, seeking a phase-out of incandescent light bulbs in India.

See: IEA report: Barriers to Technology Diffusion: The Case of Compact Fluorescent Lamps

See : IEA report : Light's Labour’s Lost- Policies for Energy-efficient Lighting

It would be appreciated if Greenpeace acknowledged the existence of www.banthebulb.org and the discussions we had in London several months ago.

China + GEF plan to phase out incandescents

2007-10-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

The Chinese government has agreed to phase out incandescent light bulbs over the next 10 years in a collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (who will be subsidising the cost of energy saving light bulbs for consumers across the developing world).

Ban The Bulb welcomes this practical and cost-effective collaboration, but feels it is a shame that it is expected to take 10 years to phase out incandescents in China.

Many poor countries and individuals struggle to pay the small upfront costs associated purchasing compact fluorescent lamps, so it is good to see the GEF's using it's resources to subsidise the cost of CFLs in China and other transition / developing countries in ways that allow them to reduce their energy demand, electricity bills and carbon emissions.

China, which makes 70% of the world's lightbulbs, has agreed to phase out incandescent bulbs in favour of more energy-efficient ones, part of a push by a leading world environmental funding agency.

The transition could be made in the next 10 years, said Monique Barbut, chief executive officer of the Global Environment Facility.

"We are starting a world campaign to ban all inefficient lightbulbs," Ms Barbut said at the Reuters Environmental Summit in Washington.

"And China has just agreed."

China's program will be formally announced in December at a meeting of climate negotiators in Bali, Indonesia, she said.

Among rich countries, Australia has already decided to phase out incandescents by 2010, Ms Barbut said, and the facility is working with the Australian government to help with the China project.

The switch to more efficient bulbs from traditional incandescent ones could mitigate 500 million tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide annually, equal to about half the climate-warming emissions of Germany, she said.

China is the first developing country to agree to join this program, and the facility will invest about $25 million for the Chinese program alone.

Other countries - including Mexico, Indonesia, Venezuela and Costa Rica - may join in future, Ms Barbut said.

"If we decide and if countries really agree, it is something that could be done in the next 10 years," she said.

The Global Environment Facility is one of the richest and least-known environmental funding agencies worldwide.

With a current trust fund of about $US3.2 billion ($A3.61 billion), the Washington, DC-based agency is the financial arm for international intergovernmental agreements on biodiversity, climate change and persistent organic pollutants. It also supports agreements on international waters, ozone and desertification.

As the lightbulb switching program goes forward, the environment facility is working to develop a fund to get these more efficient bulbs into the hands of the poor.

"An efficient lightbulb costs four times more than an inefficient lightbulb - it lasts 10 times longer but it's four times more (expensive) - and for many very poor people ... the problem is that they can't afford the four times more at one time," Ms Barbut said.

Compact fluorescent lamps use between a quarter and a fifth of the energy of incandescent bulbs producing the same light.

The matter is being discussed by countries in the European Union and the United States, she said, adding that China is ahead of the United States in this respect.

US Senate Bill to ban light bulbs introduced

2007-10-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

Although it is wonderful to hear that the US Senate is legislating to phase out incandescent light bulbs, it is worrying that so many people are enthusiastic about halogen light bulbs and high efficiency incandescents as a transition technology.

Halogen lights have the potential to offer significant energy efficiency improvements when compared to a single traditional incandescent light bulb (such as when you decide to light a desk with a 20W halogen rather than light a whole room with one or more 100W incandescents), but the sad truth is that halogen spotlights tend to be used in very large numbers to illuminate kitchens and offices to an extremely high level of brightness. As a result, halogens frequently end up greatly increasing the number of watts being used to light each m2 of a room.

High efficiency incandescents offer a 30% energy saving when compared to incandescents, but offer much less than the 75% energy savings that are already possible with equivalent compact fluorescent lamp.

Ban The Bulb welcomes moves to phase out incandescents but thinks that the new minimum standard for energy performance should be technology neutral, but based on the energy savings that are already possible with compact fluorescent lamps, the total amount of energy used to light each m2, and trying to achieve the maximum possible energy savings within 5 years.

A bill has been introduced in the [US] Senate that will require manufacturers to phase out the old style light bulbs and replace them with new types that will give the same level of light and use less energy at the same time. It is estimated that changing to the new more efficient light bulbs will add up to a savings of $6 billion a year in electricity costs. The bill is called The Energy Efficient Lighting for a Brighter Tomorrow Act (S. 2017), it was introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and has broad bi partisan support.

Senator Bingaman states that his bill will give the light bulb manufacturers a reasonable process for them to plan and implement the changes. He further states that we have had the same lighting technology for the past 125 years. When the bill is fully implemented, it will save almost as much energy as all of the Federal appliance standards from 1987 to 2000.

One of the original co-sponsors of the bill, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) commented on the fact that we have improved on just all of Thomas Edison's inventions, except for the light bulb. This legislation will encourage a new generation of talented inventors to improve on his greatest invention, the only one that has been neglected. He also stated his intention of working with Senator Bingaman to get the bill passed and making sure that the new products are made by Americans.

If the bill is passed into law, they will begin in 2012 and go on through 2014 with phasing out the current 40, 60, 75 and 100 watt incandescent bulbs and replace them by lower wattage bulbs that will be able to produce the same level of light.

By 2014, the bulbs that we have known all our lives will be obsolete. They will be replaced with the products of the new technologies such as LEDS-light emitting diodes-, halogen incandescent bulbs, compact florescent lamps and higher efficiency incandescent bulbs, giving the consumer plenty of different products to choose from.

In technical terms, the new standards for incandescent lighting will save 88 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. And because you do replace light bulbs much more often than you do large appliances, the savings from the new bulbs will be realized much sooner than any savings from larger appliances. The new generation bulbs will cost more, but they will last for years, not months like the current ones do. As a result, there will be considerable savings in lighting costs over the long term.

They have already talked to and negotiated with major lighting manufacturers and efficiency advocates. Philips Lighting initiated the negotiations on phasing out inefficient incandescent lamps, and Osram Sylvania and General Electric were actively engaged in the process. Some of the advocates involved in the negotiations are the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Senator Bingaman took a hands on approach and was personally involved in the negotiations at critical point along the way including having meetings with the key participants. The House of Representatives has already passed a similar bill. The House Bill was authored by Congressmen Harman and Upton.

Source: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources http://energy.senate.gov/

Thanks to Antony Froggatt for passing on this news article

UK starts phase out of 150W, 100W, 60W light bulbs

2007-09-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Ban The Bulb campaign welcomes the combined efforts of the UK's government, energy companies, retailers and manufacturers to phase out the most wasteful designs of domestic incandescent light bulb over the next 4 years.

In 2005, the National Audit Office told us that promoting energy efficiency was 7 times more cost effective than building new supplies of electricity, so the government's production of an illustrative timetable for phasing out 150W, 100W and 60W incandescent light bulbs from Jan 2008 onwards, and the voluntary moves by the retailers and energy companies to make energy saving light bulbs more available are very positive steps in the right direction.

Ban The Bulb now feels that it is important that the minimum energy performance standards used to determine the next generation of lighting technologies are robust and at least as good as those already possible with today's compact fluorescent lamps.

Binding statutory bans should also be fully implemented within 5 years, rather than the 12 years currently being proposed by the lighting industry.

The Ban The Bulb campaign was set up in 2005 and is grateful to all of those in California (Lloyd Levine), Australia (Malcolm Turnbull), the EU (Angela Merkel), UK (Tony Blair + Gordon Brown) and India (Greenpeace) who have supported the goal's of this campaign.

A brief history of the Ban The Bulb campaign can be read here.

Please see the articles on the left of this page or the following articles from The Guardian's website for more details:

Chain stores to end sale of traditional lightbulbs

Ban the bulb?

ENERGY GUZZLING LIGHTBULBS PHASE OUT TO START NEXT YEAR

UK, DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

The Government News Network on 27 September 2007

The most energy-guzzling light bulbs in Britain will start disappearing from shop shelves early next year as part of efforts to cut CO2 emissions, Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn said today.

This voluntary initiative, which is being led by major retailers and energy suppliers, will see energy efficient light bulbs replace their least efficient equivalents on shop shelves over the next four years.

Its aim is to save up to 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2012 from UK electricity generation - the equivalent to the carbon emissions of a typical 1 Giga Watt coal fired power station.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in March, while Chancellor of the Exchequer, his aim for the UK to be one of the first countries to phase out inefficient light bulbs and set an ambitious target date to achieve that by the end of 2011, ahead of possible actions by the EU to ban these products altogether.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn said: "Britain is leading the way in getting rid of energy-guzzling light bulbs and helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint. Choosing energy saving light bulbs can help tackle climate change, and also cut household bills, with each bulb saving up to £60 over its lifetime.

"I am delighted that major companies have said they are prepared to help deliver this ambitious timetable and offer products which will help their own customers play their part in combating climate change."

"But there are many more energy hungry gadgets on sale in shops that waste too much energy. That's why I want to see today's initiative widened. I want to see more retailers, manufacturers and service providers taking action to phase out
the least efficient products from their ranges, for example, certain set top boxes and TVs, and so help offer greener choices to their customers."

Kevin Hawkins, Director General of the British Retail Consortium said: "Retailers are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and play an active role in helping consumers reduce their own environmental impact. This is just the latest in a number of initiatives in which retailers are helping to shape consumer habits through the promotion of energy saving products. We look forward to working closely with Government and manufacturers in the lead up to the 2011 deadline to ensure the supply of energy saving light bulbs matches demand, and that they become a viable alternative to conventional light bulbs for consumers of all incomes"

Keven Verdun, Chief Executive of the Lighting Association said: 'The UK lighting suppliers strongly support the Government's ambition in this initiative. For many years the European lamp industry has promoted the benefits of phasing out energy inefficient light bulbs. In June 2007 the industry
presented its own proposals for EU legislation to phase out inefficient light bulbs across the whole of Europe, commencing 2009. We welcome the positive support of governments for this transition to more efficient lighting technologies which we believe can make a substantial contribution to reducing our energy consumption and CO2 emissions."

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust said: "We fully support the idea of phasing out inefficient lighting in favour of energy efficient light-bulbs. In most homes, lighting accounts for 10 - 15% of the electricity bill and UK households currently use £1.8 billion worth of electricity every year on lighting. An energy saving light bulb can last up to 10 times longer than a non-efficient version. Just one energy saving bulb could save up to £7 a year, fit all the lights in your house with energy saving bulbs and you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs. If everyone in the UK installed three energy saving lightbulbs, we would save enough energy to power all the UK's street lighting for a year."

Duncan Sedgwick, Chief Executive of the Energy Retail Association, said: "Britain's major energy suppliers welcome this move and are committed to distributing low energy light bulbs to households across the country over this period. This is building on the 43 million low energy light bulbs that they have already distributed through their current energy efficiency commitment."

Energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and contribute to tackling climate change because they use only a fifth to a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light.

CFLs are also cost effective. Advice from the Energy Saving Trust suggests that because it will last up to 10 times longer than a traditional bulb, just one energy saving bulb could save up to £7 a year and, depending on the length of time lights are in use every day, could save around £60 before it needs replacing. Fit all the lights in your house with energy saving bulbs and you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs.

In the UK £140 million a year is wasted by leaving lights switched on unnecessarily. This causes 900,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Each house currently has on average around 23.5 light bulbs.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Government has proposed, as an illustrative schedule for the phase out of inefficient lamps, that retailers might want to follow:

* By January 2008, cease replacing stock of all inefficient (General Lighting Service, GLS) A-shaped incandescent lamps of energy rating higher than 100W (predominantly 150W lamps).

* By January 2009, cease selling all inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps of energy rating higher than 60W (predominantly 150W lamps, 100W lamps, plus some 75W lamps)

* By January 2010, cease selling all GLS A-shaped lamps of efficacy of energy rating higher than 40W (predominantly 60W lamps)

* By 31 December 2011, cease selling all remaining inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps and 60W "candle" and "golfball" lamps. (predominantly 40W and 25W A-shaped GLS bulbs, and 60W candles and golfballs).

At the moment, we expect candles and golfballs, tungsten halogen lamps and lamps supplied with non-lighting electrical appliances to remain on sale, because suitable energy-efficient alternatives do not currently exist.

2. The following retailers support this initiative: ASDA, B&Q, The Co-operative Group, Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase), IKEA, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose, Wickes, Woolworths, British Retail Consortium, Association of Convenience Stores and the British Hardware Federation. It is also being promoted through the major energy companies as part of their activities through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).

3. The next phase is that the Government will be issuing a public consultation paper on the detailed analysis, targets and standards that we would like to achieve for domestic lighting products in the UK, with a view to updating the illustrative phase out schedule above.

4. The EU is expected to bring forward its proposals for lighting measures under the Framework Directive for the Eco-design of Energy Using Products (the EUP Directive). Implementing measures will set specific and potentially compulsory standards for several of the least efficient street, office/industry and domestic lighting products destined for the European market in order that they meet energy efficiency, as well as other, requirements. Proposals for street and office lighting are due to be agreed by the end of 2008. Work on the domestic lighting begun at the beginning of June. The Commission is expected to table a proposal by the end of 2009.

5. Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock today also wrote to retailers to progress the initiative announced in Budget 2006 to encourage more energy efficient set top boxes and other consumer electronics, including setting targets to reduce stand-by power.

6. Defra launched its ActOnCO2 carbon calculator http://www.direct.gov.uk/actonco2 as a public trial version on 20 June. There have been over 300,000 visits so far. The calculator helps people make the link between their own actions and climate change. Individuals or households can calculate the carbon footprint resulting from their home, appliances and personal travel using Government approved data and methodologies. Users can also receive a personalised action plan with tips for reducing their carbon emissions. The calculator takes account of lighting in its home section.

7. Under the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), electricity and gas suppliers are required to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency. They do this by encouraging householders to take up measures like cavity wall and loft insulation and energy efficient lights. The current phase of EEC is from 2005-08 and the Government has recently consulted on the third phase, to be called the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, from April 2008 to March 2011. At least 10 million households received measures under the first phase of EEC (2002-05), which stimulated £600m of investment in energy efficiency and delivered net benefits to householders in excess of £3 billion.

It will achieve carbon savings of around 1.1 MtC02 annually by 2010. EEC2 is at broadly double the level of EEC1 and is expected to save around 1.8 MtC02 annually by 2010. CERT is proposed to roughly double the activity under EEC2 and is expected to achieve an annual saving of about 4.0 MtCO2 by 2010.

8. The European Lamp Companies' Federation proposal for Domestic lighting, published June 2007 (http://www.elcfed.org - Latest News), sets out the EU industry's full position and proposals to the European Commission for EU legislation regarding the phase out of inefficient bulbs. These proposals are intended to allow time for a smooth switch to high-efficiency halogen and compact fluorescent lamps and the development of LED and high efficiency incandescent lamps.

China and the US moving towards light bulb bans?

2007-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, both China and the US are moving towards bans of domestic incandescent light bulbs...

This is great news, but as you will see below their are reasons to be concerned that the lighting industry will be left to determine what the new minimum energy performance standards of domestic light bulbs should be and how long should be allowed for everyone to stop using incandescent light bulbs.

Ban The Bulb feels the minimum energy performance standards should:

(1) Be the same or better than today's compact fluorescent lamps and

(2) That no more than 5 years should be allowed before 100W and 60W incandescents are phased out.

The House and Senate are working on legislation that over the next seven years would phase out the conventional light bulb, a move aimed at saving energy and reducing man-made emissions believed linked to climate change.

General Electric Co., Philips Electronics NV of the Netherlands and other manufacturers have been meeting with conservation and environmental groups and say they are close to agreement on the general terms of a phaseout. Bipartisan coalitions in Congress are likely to add these terms to a broad energy bill expected to be voted on next month.

While manufacturers voiced some concerns about producing enough bulbs to meet the new deadlines, they emphasized that they want prompt federal legislation that would prevent states from setting their own standards, creating a patchwork of differing requirements. Nevada has already set its own standard, and California is considering one.

Paul Waide, a policy analyst with the International Energy Agency, based in Paris, told the Senate Energy Committee yesterday that the European Union, Canada and Australia are planning similar phaseouts of conventional incandescent bulbs, and China is beginning to consider one.

"It is not inconceivable that over the next 10 to 15 years that maybe all incandescent lights will be removed from the global market," he said. If that happened, he added, the resulting reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions might equal almost three-fourths of the reductions that industrial nations have promised under the Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming.

The U.S., which has four billion electric lights using such bulbs, represents about a third of the world market. Installing more-efficient incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs would save consumers about $6 billion a year in energy costs, said Jeffrey Harris, a vice president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit group based in Washington.

Common incandescent bulbs, which have been around for more than 100 years, are able to convert only 5% of the electricity they use into visible light. The rest is lost as heat.

Under the timetable proposed in both House and Senate versions, incandescent bulbs would begin to disappear from U.S. markets beginning in 2012, with 100-watt bulbs going first, then 75-watt bulbs a year later and then the more popular 60- and 40-watt bulbs by 2014.

They would be replaced by compact fluorescent bulbs and more-efficient incandescent lamps, which can cut energy use from 30% to 75%. By 2020, both bills call for lighting standards that can only be met by the compact fluorescents or other technologies that can match their efficiency.

Manufacturers hope to use a few different technologies to meet the proposed standards, but they say it will be a challenge getting new lamps out by 2012, the proposed starting date. The manufacturers also had initially been looking for a longer phaseout period of five years instead of three.

Randy Moorehead, vice president of government relations for Philips Electronics, North America, said the industry mostly supports the phase-in period but has problems with the 2020 proposed standards. Mr. Moorehead said Congress should wait to set a 2020 standard to see where the technology is headed. He said manufacturers will have to scrap new multimillion-dollar investments in equipment and employees to meet 2012 standards.

GE had announced a new energy-efficient incandescent lamp that will be 30% more efficient by 2012. GE plans to roll out the first version in 2010. GE indicated the bulb would likely be comparable to a 60-watt or 40-watt bulb. Osram Sylvania, a unit of Siemens AG, is also introducing an energy-efficient incandescent bulb.

Philips is unveiling a halogen light this fall that will be markedly more efficient and three times longer-lasting than incandescent bulbs -- but will also be more expensive initially than compact and incandescent bulbs.

GE and the two other big light bulb makers, Philips and Osram Sylvania, also are looking at light emitting diodes, or LEDS, as new sources of residential lighting. "We'll certainly fill in any gaps with other technologies," says Earl Jones, senior counsel for GE's consumer-and-industrial unit.

Nearly all compact fluorescent bulbs are made in China. Although they cost more than conventional bulbs, the energy savings over their longer lifetimes are substantial. Noting that only 10% of bulbs sold in the U.S. are compact fluorescents, Kyle Pitsor, vice president of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, said the industry will mount a public-education campaign to push the more efficient bulbs.

BTB is deeply concerned that some of the world's biggest light bulb manufacturers, such as Philips and GE, are lobbying to be allowed to sell the next generation of incandescent light bulbs, which use 30% less electricity that today's models, and are not focusing their efforts on scaling up the production of compacts fluorescent lamps which already offer 75% energy savings.

The motives for this move remain unclear. However, it seems crazy to halve the effectiveness of the world's proposed light bulb bans, for no apparent reason, and BTB hopes that all of the big manufacturers will consider refocusing their efforts on bringing more compact fluorescent lamps to market and developing new technologies, such as LEDs and ceramic lighting technologies, which will significantly improve on what is already possible with CFLs.

Ban The Bulb supports measures which are technology neutral, and is not opposed to incandescents on principle, but is not prepared to endorse minimum standards which encourage the unnecessary waste of money, energy and carbon and delay changes which are already feasible.

EU import tariff on Chinese CFLs extended

2007-08-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Andy Ball for letting me know that the 66% tariff currently being charged on energy saving light bulbs imported into the EU from China has been extended for another 12 months.

Interestingly, it appears that Osram has not built any factories in China, unlike companies such as Philips. It also relies most heavily on the stick designs of CFL which the Chinese tend to make. Taken together these factors seem to have made Osram the most vulnerable to Chinese competition.

EU will retain light bulb tariff

Two thirds of energy-saving bulbs are imported from China
The European Commission has decided to retain import tariffs on Chinese-made energy-efficient light bulbs for up to another 12 months.
The decision was made even though only one of Europe's four energy-efficient light bulb producers, Germany's Osram, had called for more time to adjust.

The tariffs, introduced to stop cheap Chinese imports entering Europe, can add up to 66% to the price of bulbs.

The tariff extension will require the majority backing by EU member states.

They now have a month to decide.

'Severe contradiction'

A Commission spokesman said the extension of anti-dumping duties was needed to give European bulb producers time to adjust.

"In the overall Community interest, there are grounds to leave the possibility to continue in these anti-dumping measures for up to another year, mainly to allow in a changing reality a soft transition," said Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger.

Osram's rivals, including the Netherland's Philips, which already makes bulbs in China, had wanted the duty cancelled.

Environmental group Worldwide Fund for Nature said the Commission was displaying a "severe contradiction" in extending the import tariffs at the same time as lecturing consumers on the need to save energy.

Replacing old light bulbs with energy-efficient ones has long been hailed as a particularly effective way of reducing energy consumption.

Environmentalists say this would be easier to achieve if the tariffs were removed, since consumer would be more likely to buy energy-efficient bulbs if their price was lowered.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said: "This case has once again shown the complexities of managing antidumping rules in a global economy and against the broad range of EU interests."

Less than 20% of energy-saving bulbs on sale in Europe are made within the European Union, with more than two thirds imported from China.

While we are on the issue of taxation, if would like to support the reduction of VAT on energy-saving products inside the EU (one of this campaign's founding goals) you might like to sign this online petition which has been set up on the Downing Street website.

The Guardian : Light bulb review

2007-08-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Guardian has published a light bulb review I wrote for them which assessed the performance of a wide range of energy-saving light bulbs and rated them (out of 10) according to a key set of criteria including warm-up time, light quality, looks (size), lifetime and cost.

In general, I was pleasantly surprised by the recent improvements in the performance of energy saving light bulbs, otherwise known as compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs.

I also realised that the traditional-style (globe-shaped) designs of CFL produced a much more even and pleasing light, for a room, than the more iconic stick-shaped bulbs.

Some of the lamps were significantly better than the energy saving bulbs I had used before and I ended up recommending the 60 Watt equivalents from Philips (12 Watt, Softone, 8 year), Tesco (11 Watt, Energy Saver, Bayonet cap) and GE (11 Watt, Energy Saving Elegance) as the best all round performers (please see the review below).

The Philips design shown in this picture costs £3.99 per bulb and scored 10 out of 10 in all of the categories tested. It also claimed to last for 8000 hours.

The Tesco-branded bulb scored 8 or 9 out of 10 in all of the categories tested, claimed to last 6000 hours and cost only 81p.

The 100 Watt equivalents from Philips (20 Watt, Softone, 8 years) and GE (20 Watt, Energy Saving Elegance, 6 years) were also very good - although the Philips design was much more compact than the very bulky design from GE.

My thanks to Leo Hickman, Lucy Clouting and Bibi van der Zee for their assistance with the collection of the different light bulbs and the production of this article.

Bright lights

Still not convinced by the performance of eco light blubs? Matt Prescott founder of the Ban the Bulb campaign, puts the latest models to the test

The Guardian Thursday August 2 2007

Blame the 1970s. One of the problems holding back the uptake of energy-saving light bulbs has been that many people have still not forgotten the poor-quality versions they used then. But today, with lighting now using approximately 10% of the UK's electricity supplies, energy prices rocketing upwards, and a generally increased concern about the effects of climate change, many people say they are now prepared to give energy-efficient bulbs a second chance - provided that their performance has improved. So I put some compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to the test.

Although not perfect, the good news is that energy-saving bulbs have improved considerably, even over the past couple of years. They might not work properly with dimmers yet, but they are generally smaller, brighter and softer on the eye than they used to be. Because they work by making a phosphorous coating glow rather than by heating a filament, energy-saving light bulbs use 60% less electricity to make the same amount of light as an equivalent incandescent. This saves about £9 worth of electricity per bulb per year; or put another way, they last 6-15 times longer than the 1,000 hours of a traditional bulb and offer the UK a quick and simple way of cutting CO² emissions by 2-3m tonnes each year.

Despite these advantages, energy-saving bulbs are a lot more variable in their performance than we have come to expect from incandescents, and each make and retailer offers quite a different product. For example, it is possible to buy traditional globe-, spiral- and stick-shaped bulbs of varying size, cheap and cheerful CFLs from China, or relatively sophisticated CFLs from the major western brands, which incorporate many of the latest patents. For this review, I have stuck to a basic range of 100W- and 60W-equivalent CFLs.

My personal assessments are based on how well each light bulb worked in the same room, straight out of the box, and how happy I would have been to continue using each bulb in my own home. I have not been able to verify the life-expectancy claims for each one, as this is said to range from 6,000 to 15,000 hours (you can only watch a light bulb for so long), but I have mentioned the manufacturers' claims.

In most cases, the information available on the packaging was close to useless and took plenty of very determined reading to yield anything useful. None of the labels explained, in plain English, the amount of mercury in the bulb, how to dispose of it safely once used, its financial, carbon and energy savings, or the spectrum of light produced. Given that these are the first things people always ask me when seeking advice about what bulb to use, it's a shame this isn't standardised on all packaging.

The presence of mercury is something I am frequently asked about. A small amount is still needed in order to make all compact fluorescent lamps work, although the amount has steadily declined and is now about 50% less than used to be the norm even a couple of years ago, at approximately 4 milligrammes per bulb. The fact that it is still used is regrettable yet unavoidable at present, but the average quantity is three times less than the mercury released into the atmosphere by burning the extra coal need to power equivalent incandescent bulbs. As the mercury is contained within a sealed glass container it should be a relatively straightforward matter to recycle it safely. The EU's restriction of hazardous substances directive came into effect on July 1 2006 and provides a framework for how such recycling could be done, but is not yet law. To date, Ikea is the only company I know of that recycles all the CFLs returned to it and I hope it will not be long before all retailers follow suit in this important area.

And the results are ...

Following my test, I found that I preferred the performance of the traditional-style CFLs. They all produced a high level and quality of light within 1-3 seconds and produced an even light quality in all directions. The light intensities were good in all cases, and they all illuminated my test room more effectively than the stick bulbs, which cast light spots and shaded areas on the walls. The traditional-style designs from Philips offered the best performance. They warmed up to a bright light almost instantaneously and provided a very good even light around the entire room. The 100W-equivalent Philips bulb was more than capable of lighting a large room on its own. The traditonal-style bulb from Tesco also performed well against all of the test criteria and was very cheap at only 81p even though the life expectancy was relatively short at 6,000 hours.

· Dr Matt Prescott is director of the Ban the Bulb campaign (banthebulb.org).

EU to lift 66% trade tariffs on Chinese light bulbs

2007-07-27T02:53:00.000-07:00

According to the Associated Press the EU has said that it plans to lift trade charges on Chinese light bulbs despite German complaints.

At present energy saving light bulbs made in China have a 66% trade tariff added to their cost when they are imported into the EU.

This "tax" has protected EU-based light bulb manufacturers from Chinese imports for several years, but this protection mechanism has looked vulnerable ever since the EU's leaders announced that they wanted to make the carbon savings associated with using more energy efficient lighting.

The following AP article suggests that Philips (in Holland) has prepared for this eventuality by setting up manufacturing capacity in China whilst others manufacturers, such as Osram (in Germany), have not built any manufacturing capacity in China and will therefore suffer a loss of market share when this tariff is removed.

Issues which will now come to the fore include the quality of the energy saving light bulbs made in China (especially in relation to mercury content, life-time and light quality) and the carbon emissions associated with transporting light bulbs from China to the EU. The minimum standards set by the EU when they phase out traditional domestic incandescents in 2011 will therefore have added significance.

The Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Charges that raise the price of Chinese-made energy-efficient light bulbs should be scrapped, European Union regulators said Thursday.

The European Commission said it planned to lift antidumping duties on power-saving bulbs made in China that raise prices for European customers by two-thirds. The commission came out against Germany's Osram AG, which has pushed to keep the duties in place, claiming below-cost imports are unfair to European manufacturers.

EU spokesman Peter Power said Osram was trying to damage Dutch rival Royal Philips Electronics NV, which makes bulbs in China. The EU will suggest lifting the duties in the coming months, he said.

"Osram is seeking to continue antidumping measures because they hit Philips proportionately harder," Power told reporters. "It is a question of commercial competition between two European companies."

It is also a question of saving power and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Lighting is a major drain on the power grid, and the EU aims to cut both energy use and carbon dioxide releases by a fifth by 2020.

Shifting to eco-friendly bulbs will soon be mandatory, as the EU plans to set new efficiency standards for all lights used in homes and workplaces and on streets. Most lamp manufacturers have agreed to phase out standard incandescent light bulb within eight years.

But the higher cost of greener bulbs has deterred customers. Since 2001, the EU has slapped a 66 percent duty on imports of fluorescent bulbs from China because European producers claimed they were unfairly hurt by low-cost bulbs being dumped on the European market.

Those fees were due to expire July 19, after five years. But they are still in place while the EU's executive arm holds talks with national trade experts — including Germany, which wants to keep the duties in place.

Power said a meeting Thursday would discuss the problem, but would make no final decision. A definitive proposal, including the suspension of the duties, was expected within months.

He said Osram was not the voice of besieged European manufacturers, and noted that Philips, General Electric Co. and Havells Sylvania together make more bulbs in Europe than Osram does. To complicate matters further, like Philips, Osram also makes bulbs in China that are sold at dumped prices.

A group of EU importers, the Foreign Trade Association, called on national governments this week to lift the duties.

The EU has investigated a host of complaints from European companies in recent years claiming their shoes, furniture and DVDs have unfairly lost ground to a wide range of Chinese-made products sold below cost in Europe, breaking world trade rules.

Thanks to Antony Froggatt for passing on this article.

Ban The Bulb on Facebook

2007-07-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Ban The Bulb has created a group on Facebook.

If you would like to join the group please search for the logo under "ban the bulb"... and help to spread the word.

Warmest regards

Matt

P.S. If you want to speak with me about my Green Room article for BBC News Online you can call me on +44(0)7789 854737. I'm on holiday, so please only call me if it is urgent. I'll be back in the UK on Tues 24 July and happy to help then.

EU light bulb manufacturers back phase out (8 yrs)

2007-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

According to Associated Press, European light-bulb makers have said they want to phase out the standard incandescent light bulb in eight years, replacing it with more eco-friendly, energy-efficient lamps.

The manufacturers' proposal, submitted to the European Commission, is similar to plans under way or under consideration elsewhere, including Australia, California, and Canada, as governments seek energy savings and green-friendly credentials.

The switch could lead to significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from domestic lighting, and savings of $9.4 billion for European consumers, said the European manufacturers. The group includes General Electric Co., Havells Sylvania, and Philips.

The leaders of the 27 European Union nations agreed on new energy and emissions cutting guidelines in March, including phasing out the old incandescent lamps.

Andris Piebalgs, the EU's energy commissioner, welcomed the initiative, saying it showed efficiency "is a way of combatting climate change" and reducing energy dependency across Europe.

The EU is applying new binding minimum energy efficiency rules for all lights used, either in the home, at work, or in street lighting.

The industry group said manufacturers will have eight years to switch to high-efficiency halogen and compact flourescent lamps and develop high-efficiency incandescent bulbs.

"Under the proposal, within eight years from now, 85% of the total EU traditional incandescent lamp market of 2.1 billion lamps would need to meet new efficiency requirements," the group said.

It added that the highest watt lamps, those between 25 watts and 100 watts, will be phased out by 2015.

Ban The Bulb feels that 8 years is rather a long time to phase out light bulbs between 25W and 100W, and that somewhere between 3 and 5 years would be more appropriate.

BTB would also like to see the European Commission being more specific about the 15% of light bulbs which will be allowed to exceed the minimum standard.

The 20W CFLs which replace 100W incandescents, are already available so taking 8 years to reach this minimum standard does not seem to make the most of the immediate gains which would be possible if 60W and 100W incandescents were phased out more rapidly.

Greenpeace launch energy efficiency campaign

2007-06-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Eoin "Owen" Dubsky has been in touch to let me know that Greenpeace International have set up an new energy efficiency campaign.

Ban The Bulb is glad to see Greenpeace setting up a campaign which will help to expand the case for greater energy efficiency beyond the light bulbs and wishes the campaign well.