Cost of CFLs to triple in Europe
The cost of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in Europe is skyrocketing because the EU is withdrawing the subsidy they used to encourage their adoption, as the incandescent lamp (Thomas Alva Edison's familiar glowing filaments) are being phased out (banned). The CFL is a more efficient way to produce light than the incandescent bulb, using approximately 1/3 the energy for equivalent light. However, many people do not like the color of CFLs, the fact that they take more time to warm up (especially in the cold), and the flicker.
However, there's always a loophole. A German firm is re-branding incandescent lamps as space heaters. Almost all the energy that an incandescent lamp wastes producing light goes to making heat, and they are remarkably efficient space heaters. I expect this may happen in the US as incandescent lamps become unavailable when they are banned in the US in 2012.
One use that incandescent lamps are used for is to keep the bilge of a boat from freezing in cold weather. A single small lamp on an extension cord placed in a bilge can keep the bilge pump from freezing solid, and allowing the boat to take on water and sink during a thaw or rain. I've been tempted, but never resorted to it.
We use many CFLs here at home. The color doesn't bother me, and I've never noticed the flicker. However, they are slow to warm when used in cold places (the garage and outdoor fixtures). I don't see the need for a ban. Lighting is usually a trivial part of a houses energy budget; water heating, refrigerators, and space heating consume far more. And in general, I'm just opposed to mandatory bans of useful items just on the principle of personal freedom and free markets.
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