Shanta Barley, reporterEuropeans bid farewell to the 100 watt bulbs today. From now on, Edison's brainchild can no longer be legally made in or imported into the European Union, thanks to a Union-wide ban which kicks off today.
Shed a tear, but don't let your sentimentality tempt you into smuggling one into the EU under your jumper: you'll be hit with a £5000 fine, according to The Daily Telegraph. That's the price for individuals caught transgressing the ban. Companies will face unlimited fines.
The EU hopes that the ban on incandescent light bulbs will force businesses and consumers to invest in low-carbon Light Emitting Diodes and Compact Fluorescent Lamps, which use up to 80 per cent less energy.
The ban could save the EU anywhere from 15 to 53 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, says Matt Prescott, founder of the Ban the Bulb campaign.
And the UK could save 2 to 5 million tonnes of the stuff, he says. Will it make a difference? You decide: the ban will cut Britain's yearly emissions of CO2 by - oh, about 0.643737355 per cent.
Categories: Environment
Tags: climate change | compact fluorescent lamp | energy | environment | European Union | LED | light bulbs
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Bye bye to the 100W bulb
via newscientist.com
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