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IKEA becomes the first major retailer to stop selling incandescent light bulbs
Remember The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which mandated that all US retailers must stop selling incandescent bulbs by 2012? If you don't, you're apparently not alone, since according to a lighting survey conducted for IKEA back in 2010, 61% of Americans weren't aware of the legislation either. Luckily for those not in the know, IKEA was kind enough to remind the world of the upcoming change by proudly announcing that they've stopped selling the power-sucking bulbs a whole year early -- making them the first retailer in the US to comply with the bill. To help customers deal with the switch the furniture giant will sell visitors compact fluorescent and halogen bulbs -- in addition to LED lamps. That's seems like smart business considering the same lighting survey says 67% of Americans care about using energy saving lights, while 81% say using more efficient lights is a good environmental practice. So much for incandescent bulbs making a comeback eh?
Study says LEDs are about as efficient as compact fluorescents, all things considered
As we've seen with the slight resurgence of new and improved incandescent light bulbs, the amount of energy used to actually light up the bulb isn't necessarily the whole measure of energy efficiency. There's also the small matter of producing the bulb, shipping it around the world, and eventually disposing of it. With that in mind, the Siemens Corporate Technology Centre for Eco Innovations conducted a study that compared regular compact fluorescents to LED lamps -- using one 25,000-hour LED lamp as a constant, compared to 2.5 10,000-hour compact fluorescents (and 25 1,000-hour incandescents). While it's still holding back on some of the finer details, the group did apparently find that LEDs are no more or no less energy efficient than compact fluorescents when the entire lifecycle of the bulb is taken into account, although it is quick to point out that LEDs should eventually win out as they become more efficient to produce.
GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly
Was it Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic? If he was correct, it would follow that GE's new Energy Smart CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb is most magical. A true product of "ecomagination" (their word), the imagineers (Disney's word) at GE have taken the their tried and true CFL hardware and housed it in the form factor of a traditional light bulb. Of course there are already a vast number of options for homeowners wishing to go green on the lighting front, but we're hard pressed to find something that works across the board in traditional lighting fixtures (at least without looking awful as it does so). The product gets its national outing at Target on December 28, and starts popping up at more retailers over the coming months. To tide you over until then, we've provided some earth shattering video after the break.
Are compact fluorescent bulbs causing migraines?
Sure, we know you want to do your part for the planet and all that jazz, but what if conserving energy is killing you? Okay, well, it might not be killing you, but according to a new report out of the UK, it's possible that those new-fangled fluorescent bulbs everyone is telling you to buy these days may be aggravating your migraines, making you nauseous, or causing you physical pain (if you've got lupus). The Daily Mail says that because the bulbs work in the same fashion as typical fluorescent bulbs (which can be irritating to some), the subtle flickering inherent to the technology can cause problems. Britain's Migraine Action Association director Paul Jansen said, "For some people a migraine attack can be triggered by fluorescent lights, video screens, stroboscopic effects and flashing lights." And added that, "We hope that the Government will allow regular light bulbs still to be available to those who need them." On the flip side, compact fluorescent supporters say only older technology or low-energy bulbs have flickering issues, and that new models being produced are clear of problems. Surely that may be the case -- but we need something to blame this stabbing eye pain on.[Via Switched]
