Form Plus Function

Only 26 days left !

The upcoming EU ban on frosted incandescent bulbs will start on September 1st with 100W bulbs.
Other wattages will then be phased out over the next three years.

With the deadline for the demise of the familiar light bulb rapidly approaching criticism of this legislature is spreading throughout Europe.
There are calls for civic disobedience and protests about “Light Bulb Socialism” (Holger Krahmer,  FDP, Germany.)

It’s not that all Europeans have all of a sudden fallen off the wagon and decided to be energy-hogs.  This is  rather a widespread scepticism towards  EU bureaucracy and the rush to force this legislation through before a suitable replacement for the incandescent bulb has been found.

Many are complaining about the quality of the light emitted by a CFL bulb,  that it is not strong enough for tasks and can cause headaches.
Others are pointing out that the issue of CFL recycling has not been solved and that the research about the virtues of CFLs comes primarily from interest groups like CFL manufacturers and is grossly overstated.

One group is not complaining, though: light bulb retailers. Sales have skyrocketed over the last months as shoppers are stockpiling incandescent bulbs.
Museums, galleries, stores and general consumers are making sure that they still have a choice after September 1st.