Europe to ban halogen lightbulbs

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian


After nearly 60 years of lighting homes halogens will be replaced with more energy efficient LEDs

Arthur Neslen
Thu 23 Aug 2018 01.00 EDT

After nearly 60 years of brightening our homes and streets, halogen lightbulbs will finally be banned across Europe on 1 September.

The lights will dim gradually for halogen. Remaining stocks may still be sold, and capsules, linear and low voltage incandescents used in oven lights will be exempted. But a continent-wide switchover to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is underway that will slash emissions and energy bills, according to industry, campaigners and experts.

LEDs consume five times less energy than halogen bulbs and their phase-out will prevent more than 15m tonnes of carbon emissions a year, an amount equal to Portugal’s annual electricity usage.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/23/europe-to-ban-halogen-lightbulbs

[Angry Dragon]

1. good post

[Snellius]

2. Compared to Europe, US will look like it's in the Stone Age in a few years.

Taken any trips on long-distance railways lately?

[Maxheader]

5. IMHO

We are already there...internet tech, availability...banning plastics...recognizing
global warming...Europe seems to be getting more involved than
here...

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Generally a good idea, but it would be nice if they allow limited use for some...

commercial displays.

LEDs are getting better all the time, but aren't full spectrum yet, and may never have the light quality that halogens have. Halogens still add sparkle to some displays, artwork, and such things, and some designers specify them.

Halogens are also a little more energy efficient than the older incandescent lamps, which probably means little at this point.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. It Took Me A Long Time To Switch To LED Floodlights

We have one of those dual flood fixtures with the motion sensor for the backyard.

I tried the compact fluorescent lights, but they were far too weak, and in the winter time they took so long to warm up that i was back inside with the dog before they got bright enough to be useful.

So, i stayed with halogen for a long time. Finally, i started to feel that the quality of the halogen floods was diminishing as it seemed i was changing them more and more often.

I noticed the PRECIPITOUS price drop of LED floods, and the huge uptick in lumens. I finally decided to switch and i'm quite pleased. They claim 200 lumens less than the halogen, and i believe them. These are very bright, they were only $4 more for the 2 pack, and they carry a 5 year warranty. (I even saved the box).

So, while i get the technical concerns you have, they keep getting cheaper and better, they may end up satisfying the needs you express.

[TreasonousBastard]

18. Well, personally, I have all LED's throughout my apartment. Previous tenant had halogens in...

the track lighting in the hall, but replaced them with LED R20s (not easy to find). Even have candelabra LEDs in the bedroom ceiling fixture.

And I picked up a set of those ridiculously expensive Phillips color-changing lamps.

Yeah, LEDs are cheaper and the color is better, so there's no reason not to use them at home or the office. I'm thinking they're not so good for sculpture galleries or jewelry displays.

The technical thing is geeky, but all incandescents, including halogens, start out as "black bodies" and get brighter and whiter as they get hotter. But, they always have some elements of the visible spectrum no matter what the color temperature is.

Fluorescents can have a mix of phosphors and can be made to be full spectrum, approximating what an incandescent is. LEDs, however, are usually made from only three primary colors, so it's difficult to get things like a proper violet. They're working on it, though, and no doubt they'll get there soon.

(Anybody want this big box of halogens and compact fluorescents I have lying around?)

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Totally Agree

We are almost 100% LED. If they're not LED, it's because we had some CFL's left over. So, the deck light, and the front porch, and a paddle fan light in the room we seldom use all still have CFL's.

I think everything else in the house is LED.

Then, plate of shrimp, my wife found a box of incandescents in the house just yesterday. I didn't count them, but it has to be around 15 bulbs.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. And on the "other" side of "normal"

we have Team Trump wanting to bring back incandescent bulbs! (obviously another "If Obama did it then we must change it" idea!).

[onethatcares]

6. but those incandescent bulbs

will be powered by blocks of coal so it will be a win win for the energy companies and think of all the jobs that will create.

I wish they'd pass some kind of law about the automobile bulbs that are so bright they blind a person while driving. It seems I always have the fortune to be in front of some one that has those.

[LakeSuperiorView]

10. I come axcross people that don't know how to change headlights.

So they wind up misaligning them before actually figuring out how the bulb comes out. Then they go driving at night with one headlight pointed above the road. Looks like they are search for low flying birds.

[dembotoz]

14. I do wish headlight replacement was easier

My kids Altima is a good awful remove everything deal.
No wonder things get screwed up.
My Mitsubishi is light change a light bulb in a lamp simple

[MyOwnPeace]

11. Oh, yes, King Coal!

I guess all of those coal miners that voted for IQ45 because he promised them jobs will now be making light bulbs!

[Scruffy1]

7. They are going away in the US, too.

Once in a while I take my household and garage scrap to a recycler. There is always someone reycling ballasts from old halogen lights. Economics is the reason. I have no incandescents in my house or garage, though I have some fluorescent bulb left which will be changed as they die. I am also solar powered through a co-op. It's happening here, but way too slow. I was amamzed at how much better the led shop lights were than the t-8 fluorescents I used to use. Even though they are rated at less lumens than the T-8's the difference is huge. It's a better light.
It's like coal, the economics will drive the halogen bulbs off of the market, eventually, but I would like to see some federal assistance in getting municipalities to switch. I think a lot of cities lack the capital for a good investment in upgrades. I think a loan program that could be paid off in energy savings would be a great move.

[paleotn]

8. I can't rec this enough.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. I've found CFL's to be a big disappointment

They are rated at maybe 10,000 hours. Most of mine fail around 1500 hours. Only one kept going for 6 years, and it's hard to calculate how many hours it really did run. I'd say maybe 4,000.

The packages tell me I'm going to save $253.76 if I buy this $7 light bulb and it burns for its maximum life. It's not working out that way for me.

[hunter]

21. Where do you live?

Some days I think it was a conspiracy to send all the crap CFLs and LEDs to Republican coal country.

Here in California the power companies started subsidizing high quality CFLs and then LEDs early in their development. Typical 60 watt replacement bulbs cost a dollar or two and the power company paid the rest. Supposedly subsidizing these low energy bulbs cost the power companies less than building new power plants.

I have a couple of CFLs left in our house that have been going 10-20 years. Everything else is LED now. I haven't had an LED fail yet.

One of our kids bought an old house and we just threw 600 watts of 'seventies era incandescent can lights in the dumpster, replacing them with LEDs. That will pay for itself quickly, not just lighting costs but air conditioning costs as well.

We replaced the horrible magnetic ballast fluorescent can lights in our own home with LEDs a couple of years ago. (We did not choose those fluorescents, they came with the house.) It used to drive me nuts when one of those started flickering and I had to interrupt whatever I was doing to fetch the ladder.

[bucolic_frolic]

24. Some of the bulbs I have were from utilities

out west, close out or overstock I think. I also got a free pack from my utility here in the Philly area. There's been little difference in performance between the two lots. I have K-Lite, OptoLight and TCP brands. I'm thinking humidity has something to do with it, or perhaps length of daily use. I typically leave the light on for 8-12 hours at a time. I know mounting them inverted shortens life. Now I'm trying very low wattage on that lamp. But horizontal mount in a closed ceiling light was a very long lasting bulb. Best of the lot.
But ordinary straight up does not go well. Seems the base gets hot, they're darkened when they burn out.

Maybe the one lot was closeout for a reason = bad bulbs to begin with. The package said something like cannot be resold, can only be used by such and such utility customers, and here I am buying them in a store 2500 miles away.

[csziggy]

23. When we moved into our new house ten years ago we put in CFLs

Back then LED bulbs were far too expensive. Most of the CFLs are still going though I wish the ones in the kitchen fixtures would burn out so I could replace them with LEDs!

90% of the CFLs have lasted the full ten years and are still going. A few burned out early. I think the bulbs I ordered from the electrical supply house are better quality than what us available from big box stores or Walmart.

We still have a few incandescents - mostly in some bathroom fixtures that we have not been able to find CFLs or LEDs to fit. The base is not the problem - the length of the alternative bulbs is. All CFLs and most LEDs are just too long to fit inside the covers.

[RobinA]

12. I Just Don't Like

LEDs. I don't know what it is about them. I have them in a reading light, got them particularly because of the low heat, which I do like. They are plenty bright when you look at them, but for some reason I can't see well to read. I feel like they are fake light. They LOOK like light, but they don't actually light things. Weird.

[NurseJackie]

13. Try a different "color temperature" ... I like the warmer colors best.

https://www.earthled.com/blogs/light-2-0-the-earthled-blog-led-lighting-news-tips-reviews/17808860-what-is-color-temperature-choosing-a-proper-color-temperature-for-your-next-led-bulb

Color temperature is a description of the warmth or coolness of a light source. When a piece of metal is heated, the color of light it emits will change. This color begins as red in appearance and graduates to orange, yellow, white, and then blue-white to deeper colors of blue. The temperature of this metal is a physical measure in degrees Kelvin or absolute temperature. While lamps other than incandescent such as LEDs do not exactly mimic the output of this piece of metal, we utilize the correlated color temperature (or Kelvins) to describe the appearance of that light source as it relates to the appearance of the piece of metal (specifically a black body radiator).

By convention, yellow-red colors (like the flames of a fire) are considered warm, and blue-green colors (like light from an overcast sky) are considered cool. Confusingly, higher Kelvin temperatures (3600–5500 K) are what we consider cool and lower color temperatures (2700–3000 K) are considered warm. Cool light is preferred for visual tasks because it produces higher contrast than warm light. Warm light is preferred for living spaces because it is more flattering to skin tones and clothing. A color temperature of 2700–3600 K is generally recommended for most indoor general and task lighting applications. Color Temperature is not an indicator of lamp heat.

Newly created vintage and filament LED bulbs offer color temperatures below 2700K, some even as low as 1900K! These color temperatures are suited for those looking to mimic the ambience created by traditional carbon filament bulbs. These bulbs produce a lower number of lumens than traditional incandescent bulbs as do their LED counterparts. Only chose this level of color temperature if you are willing to sacrifice lumens for a more ambience that demands the extremely soft light these bulbs create.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Yes, We Switched

My wife hated the early versions because they're kind of a garish blue light.

Not that long ago, we found one that has more of the orange-y light that comes off an incandescent. She's completely good with those.

I like that we can get both, because for some applications i like that high illumination. (Like the garage or a closet). Then for a room where the TV is on, or the kitchen, the softer hue is better.

[RobinA]

25. Well, Interesting

I prefer the warmer ones, but this would lead me to believe maybe I need a cooler one to read buy. My fixture is one of those Medusa type things, so maybe I need to put a cool bulb in the light I point toward my book!

[forgotmylogin]

17. Get the warm-toned ones.

My life has changed ever since I popped for a couple $12 color-changing LED bulbs that I control with my phone.

The room can go to completely bright white light that looks incandescent to almost any color and brightness or dimness I want. I can make the room look lovely with some saturated pinks and purples.

At night for TV watching, I have a cool dim blue hue where the room seems dark but you can see. When I go to bed, I hit a setting and they dim to very low purple that's good for night vision seeing where you're going without blinding you. And the phone shuts them off at the time when the sun rises.

I also saw what they called "vintage" LEDs, which are tuned to look *very* warm like an older dimmer incandescent bulb, and they're meant to go in antique lighting fixtures you don't want to look like a white hospital glow. Those might be what you're wanting for a reading light.

[Kaleva]

20. LEDs in stop lights in snow country don't work well.

As they put out little heat, the stop lights can by covered by ice and snow during a winter storm and be very hard to see.

I imagine the stop lights could be equipped with thermostat controlled heaters so that doesn't happen. There'd still be a net savings as the heaters won't be used during warmer weather.

[truthisfreedom]

22. There's little difference in color quality between "white" LEDs

and fluorescents. The white color is produced by phosphorus mixtures in both, excited by UV rays produced by glowing mercury vapor in fluorescents and by UV LEDs in white LED bulbs. To approximate the warmth and smooth spectrum of halogens and incandescents it’s best to use mixtures of red, green and blue LEDs but this is likely too expensive.

[Marrah_Goodman]

26. We have almost all LED lights now

I can't imagine willingly paying more for electric now that LED's are so cheap.

[Mosby]

27. seems kinda drastic to ban them

I wonder what they will ban next.

I bet they could lower health care costs if they ban soda and chips. The british eat a lot of fried food and sausages, they should ban those.