SOLO-NZ Press Release: Dim Move By Government

“The announcement today by the government of their plan to “phase out” incandescent bulbs is yet one more little slice in the "death of a thousand cuts" of liberty” Says SOLO spokesman Lance Davey

“Compact fluorescent bulbs, which are the intended replacement, are a neat little piece of emerging technology. They're cheaper to use for one thing, and the light emitted is not as unpleasant as the big industrial fluorescent tube lighting of yore.

“But the government's plan to force people to utilise the new CFL bulbs is just misguided meddling. The CFL bulbs are not without some shortcomings that may leave consumers wishing they had a choice:

CFL bulbs can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes to “warm up” to full brightness and the colour cast may be different from when it is turned on - compared to the 0.1 seconds it takes for an incandescent.

CFL bulbs contain small amounts of mercury. In countries where CFL bulbs are mandatory, a mandatory recycling scheme was also soon implemented with the cost being added into the purchase price of each bulb. Making the already expensive bulbs even more costly.

CFL bulbs actually degrade in light quality over time. In a recent study conducted with “Energy Star” certified bulbs, one quarter of tested CFLs no longer met their rated output after 40% of their rated service life. So even though CFL bulbs “last” longer, you may want to replace them sooner.

Some people can have very negative reactions to CFL lighting, causing migraines, dizziness and nausea.

“CFL bulbs are otherwise great, and I hope that manufacturers keep on tweaking and developing their product and get them on a par with incandescents (despite there being no incentive in the new product monopoly) – but the idea that in a few years time one would be forced to smuggle contraband light bulbs into the country, if they prefer them, is an absurdity.”

Lance Davey

ldavey@xtra.co.nz

SOLO-SOLOPassion.com