You may have already heard that US Congress has banned incandescent light bulbs by 2014, or that other countries are all beginning to follow suit, but in Luxembourg yesterday, they jumped the gun – incandescent light bulbs will be banned all across the European Union as of 2010. Incandescent bulbs use up to 5 times more energy than normal bulbs, and although the amount of energy used by your light bulb only accounts for about 2% of your overall electrical usage, when it’s changed across the board it does make a big difference. Also, each CFL bulb is supposed to last about 10 times longer than the bulb that Edison invented, and produces 75% less heat. If you have any questions about the efficiency of the new bulbs, take a look at Energy Star’s site, but before you make up your mind on whether or not the switch is a good idea, keep in mind the massive recycling problems that are beginning to occur with used CFL bulbs – they carry toxins that we never had to worry about in incandescent bulbs. Is the 2% energy savings worth leaking more mercury into our land?
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