THE LIGHTS will be going out all over Ireland next week – but for once it’s not because of our economic woes.
The phasing out of incandescent lightbulbs gathers pace from next month with a ban on clear-glass bulbs of 75 watts or over.
Manufacturers will also have to provide additional information on the energy use of the bulbs they sell, under the new rules to be introduced by the European Commission from September 1st.
The most commonly used bulb, the 60 watt, will be withdrawn from September 2011, and less-powerful bulbs will be banned by 2012.
The changes are part of a phased withdrawal of traditional lightbulbs in favour of more energy-efficient alternatives such as halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This started last year with a ban on 100 watt bulbs and frosted bulbs.
The second step in the phase-out process also requires producers to display precise information on the packaging from next week, such as the lifetime of the bulb, its warm-up time and the average number of times it can be switched on or off.
Beuc, the European Consumers’ Organisation, welcomed the changes but called for better systems for disposing of fluorescent bulbs and a reduction in the mercury content of energy-saving bulbs.
At present, compact fluorescent lamps cannot be disposed of in recycling bins but must be returned to the point of sale.
“We are concerned that the mercury content in fluorescent lamps is still too high; with the best available technology, the current mercury threshold of 5mg can be lowered to only 1-2mg,” said Beuc director general Monique Goyens.
The good news in these straitened times is that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation says the average household can save up to €43 a year by replacing three 100 watt incandescent lightbulbs with CFLs using three hours of electricity per day. Compact fluorescent lamp bulbs, though more expensive, use 80 per cent less electricity than their incandescent equivalent and typically last eight to 12 times longer.
The department says lighting can account for up to one-fifth of a household’s electricity consumption.
Under the regulations, lightbulbs that are due to be removed from the market can still be sold provided they are in stock before the deadline. Reflector bulbs and spotlights are excluded from the EU regulations.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley originally planned to introduce Irish legislation to phase out incandescent lightbulbs last year but dropped his proposals when the European Commission accelerated its own plans for a more ambitious Europewide ban.