EU leaders to make Europe change lightbulbs - Reuters

[Eugene]

EU leaders to make Europe change lightbulbs

By Paul Taylor

1 hour, 58 minutes ago

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European homes, offices and streets will have to use energy-
efficient lighting by the end of the decade, EU leaders decided on Friday.

The decision to order a massive switchover that will affect the lives of all the
European Union's 490 million citizens came at a summit of the 27-nation bloc as
part of an ambitious green energy policy to fight climate change.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who chaired the summit, told a news conference:
"We're not saying people should throw out all the bulbs in their house today but
people should start looking at what's in the shops.

-snip-

The leaders asked the executive European Commission to come up with proposals for
saving power in office and street lighting by 2008 and in homes by 2009.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070309/sc_nm/energy_eu_lightbulbs_dc

[bobbie]

1. Geez...

How many Europeans does it take to change a lightbulb?

[MikeDuffy]

2. Who knows what is the most efficient light bulb

available for general use today???

[greenman3610]

3. they are called CFCs

they are the ones that look like ice cream cones.
(15 watts for the same light as a traditional 60 watt)
Fit in your regular lamps, for the most part -
I started replacing all my bulbs with them
as they burned out, I'm almost completely
switched over.
Some kinds of recessed lighting fixtures
present a problem, but I look for solutions
soon.
Australia has banned old style bulbs, and
Ontario has a ban on the table, California too.

We use 22 percent of our electricity on lighting,
so by making this reduction, we can chop
a huge waste in a very short time.

Down the road, Light emitting diodes are
even more efficient, won't be long before
they are generally available.

[Massacure]

4. LEDs are expensive as heck though.

The prices has to come down before they compete with CFLs. CFLs pay for themselves over incandescents.