How many bureaucrats does it take to change a light bulb?

carolina bracken, 1 September 2011

Any number, but they’ll always screw it up.

Under an uncompromising Brussels agenda, production of the popular 60 watt bulb will cease today, as consumers are forced to turn to low-energy Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) instead.

EU bureaucrats devised a strategy for phasing out the incandescent bulb, in popular use since the Victoria era, in 2007, and the UK government signed up to the proposals the following year. The move came as part of a far-reaching drive to help achieve climate change targets – particularly the ambitious 20% energy consumption cut by 2020 – with UK ministers claiming the switch would save 5 million tons of carbon every year.

Yet despite their green credentials, the CFLs have won few fans. Some studies suggest that they produce as little as 40% of the light of traditional bulbs, and there has been concern that their mercury component could trigger migraines, or even epilepsy. The lights have become infamous for their ominous flickering, and their cold, white glow, reminiscent of deserted hallways and morgues. Particular resistance has come from the elderly and those with poor eye sight, who rely on brighter lights to cope without difficulty in their homes.

And there have been more ideological objections too. Howard Brandston – the lighting guru, once charged with redesigning the illumination of the Statue of Liberty – has used CFLs in his own commercial projects, but refuses to accept their suitability for the domestic setting. “Your home should be your castle,” he laments, “and they are coming into your home and reducing the quality of light and life. It changes the colour of your appearance, your food, your furniture”.

Each bulb is significantly more expensive than the traditional alternative, although proponents of the energy saving CFLs argue that these initial costs will soon be recouped through falling electricity bills; the Energy Saving Trust calculates that switching to CFLs costing up to £2.00 each could save £2.50 per bulb per year, a total of £45.00 per household.

However, these sums are vehemently contested. James Shortridge, MD of Ryness Lighting, notes that no CFL manufacturer sells the bulbs for less than £1.80, meaning that customers are forced to pay in excess of £2.00, and some suppliers have raised their prices by 20% in the last few months alone. Indeed, the price in one retailer of a single 11 watt Philips CFL bulb has soared from £3.99 two years ago, to £4.99 now, and the cheapest energy saving bulb in Sainsbury’s has risen by a colossal 65% over the same period.

Manufacturers are slating the price hikes as the inevitable consequence of protectionist measures in China, which have increased the cost of rare earth elements essential for the CFL design. Although each bulb uses only a small amount of these phosphors, they are found almost exclusively in China, and the Chinese government is now anxious to protect its own reserves. Given China’s near-total monopoly over the material, further price rises are to be expected.

There seems to be no way to escape these escalating charges. Consumers have been cautioned against opting for cheaper, non-branded alternatives, with stories of exploding bulbs and damage to light fittings, and non-standard CFL bulbs, such as those compatible with dimmer switches, can cost up to £12.00 each.

The switch has also sparked a parallel upsurge in the retail price of the old 60 watt bulbs, as retailers and consumers stockpile as many as possible before they fade from the shelves. Conservative energy spokesman in the European Parliament, Giles Chichester, has lambasted bulb manufacturers for “exploiting a market opportunity”, as 60 watt bulbs have doubled in price since the ban was announced. A similar phenomenon occurred in 2009 when the 100 watt bulb was forced out of production, with the price of the last batch being set 30% higher than before.

In 2008, just as the UK adopted the EU diktat, New Zealand abandoned proposals for an outright ban, decrying the idea as an example of the “nanny state philosophy”. Yet while some countries retreat from this prescriptive approach, the US will soon follow in the EU’s footsteps, with a similar ban tabled for early next year. With the prospect of a more illuminated policy ever dimming, the decision is sure to continue to generate more heat than light.