Wednesday - January 07, 2009

Britons panic buying last stocks of conventional lightbulbs. Gweens win this round but ….

Damn Pinheads!

I’ve posted on this subject before but now here it is officially, it’s come to this. PANIC indeed.

There has to be a place or places where we can still buy the old reliable 100W bulb.  If there is, and I think there is, I’ll find it and really go to town.

We had been hoarding bulbs for awhile but about a month ago the shelves were empty.  We do have quite a few but, one can never, ever have enough of something that works well.

Well, here’s what gonna happen at least here in this house.  First, gonna buy a couple more lamps and start using TWO 60watt bulbs in place of the one 100watt, when we burn through all those 100s we’ve hoarded.  Or maybe use up the 60s first.  See, I really do not give a rats pa-toot how much energy we use or how big a footprint or how much carbon I leave behind.  I just do not buy into all that sky is falling crap and I HATE the idea that the EU can bring this crap home.

I would imagine things almost as bad in USA.  Is that right?  I mean hey ... with Obama taking office this month and his green desires as he has stated, how long before there’s a total federal ban in the US? 

Maybe there’ll be black market in light bulbs. Yeah, and an Al Capone type will supply same and there’ll be truck hi-jacking and shoot outs and .....

Hmmmm. Sometimes I get carried away.  Never mind.

Britons panic buying last stocks of conventional lightbulbs
Britons are panic buying the last remaining stocks of traditional lightbulbs after the Government agreed to plans to phase them out completely.

By Murray Wardrop
Last Updated: 1:19PM GMT 07 Jan 2009

The EU will impose a ban on sales of 100W bulbs from September.
Britain has signed up to an European Union decision to replace conventional 100-watt bulbs with supposedly greener, low-energy alternatives.
It means that the staple household item is vanishing from the high street after 120 years.

Leading supermarkets and DIY chains, including Sainsbury’s, Asda and Homebase, have already sold all their final stocks of the bulbs.
Other stores have reported that the only have enough to last until the end of next week.

Ministers claim that switching from old-fashioned lightbulbs to their newer fluorescent counterparts will reduce carbon dioxide by around five million tons each year.
However, fears have been raised over suggestions that low-energy bulbs can trigger skin rashes, migraines and epilepsy.

There is also concern because the fluorescent bulbs are generally more expensive and contain mercury, which makes disposal more dangerous.
An average supermarket price for a six pack of standard 60W pearl light bulbs is £1.21, but a single 60W low energy stick light bulb costs around £2.19.

Retailers stopped replenishing supplies of conventional incandescent 100W bulbs at the start of the year under a voluntary government scheme to force people to buy green compact fluorescent lights.
However, many shoppers have resorted to stockpiling supplies of traditional bulbs over worries about the quality of low energy alternatives and the fact that most of them do not work with dimmer switches.

Sainsbury’s said it had “virtually run out” of traditional 100W bulbs, while Homebase, John Lewis, and Asda confirmed they no longer had them on their shelves. Tesco, Britain’s biggest seller of bulbs, said it had enough for a few days.
The death of the conventional incandescent bulb was announced by Gordon Brown in 2007. The government wants people to switch to low energy compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) to help meet its climate change targets.

An energy efficient bulb uses a fifth of the energy of a conventional bulb and can save £7 a year in bills.

BULBS

WOO-HOO.  a WHOLE £7 a year. Well hell lets break out the champers and celebrate this great windfall. Maybe on the savings I can buy a flat pack Cadillac, Candy Apple Red please.  Ikea must sell that cheap. I’ll get Drew to put the damn thing together and then float it over here on the packing.

Posted by peiper     on 01/07/2009 at 11:05 AM   
Filed Under: • EUro-peons • Government • UK •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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