Green light bulbs: Not such a bright idea - Independent Online Edition > New Articles

Green light bulbs: Not such a bright idea - Independent Online Edition > New Articles: "Some think of it as a conspiracy: traditional light bulb manufacturers urging a switch to the new generation of pricey, sophisticated CFLs, or compact fluorescent light bulbs, in a bid to combat the competition of cut-price incandescent bulbs coming from makers in the Far East. Or retailers only too keen to usher in a new, higher-margin product with green credentials. Consumers, meanwhile, have tried an early version of an energy-saving bulb and found it wanting: not simply because of the expense – good value in the long run, maybe, but up to 20 times pricier than a traditional bulb – but also finding the bulbs outsized and aesthetically unappealing, their light dim with an unsettling flickering effect. Some people have not forgotten the terrible energy-saving bulbs introduced in the 1970s and will need convincing to try them again. Yet, like them or not, CFLs will soon be all that you can buy. January next year sees the launch of a government-backed plan to phase out high-wattage incandescent bulbs altogether. And switching to eco-bulbs is so often cited as one of the first, and most easy steps anyone can take in making a contribution to the sustainability effort, that having any of Thomas Edison's old contraptions is becoming socially unacceptable. "