I have stockpiled old-style lightbulbs as well, but for different reasons, now I can add this reason to the growing list . This is like communist Russia, stockpiling goods because of the increased scarcity of them.
The medical experts who refuse to use low-energy lightbulbs in their homes: Professors have stocked up on old-style bulbs to protect against skin cancer and blindness. So should YOU be worried?
Warnings: Professor John Marshall (top) and Professor John Hawk
How would you view a man who’s stockpiled a lifetime supply of old-fashioned lightbulbs because he believes low-energy bulbs could lead to blindness?
You might well dismiss him as dotty. But the man in question, John Marshall, is no crank. In fact, he’s one of Britain’s most eminent eye experts, the professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. So concerned is he that he has boxes stacked with old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs at home.
‘I bulk bought incandescent lightbulbs before the Government made it illegal to import them,’ he says.
‘I can’t give you an exact number, but I have enough to see me out.’
Top eye expert Prof John Marshall has boxes stacked with old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs at home
Nor is he alone in his concerns about modern lightbulbs. Another eminent British professor, John Hawk, an expert in skin disease, is warning they may cause sunburn-like damage, premature aging and even skin cancer.
He doesn’t have any low-energy bulbs in his house, explaining: ‘I have lots of old-style bulbs I bought in bulk when they were available.’
Incandescent bulbs had been the standard form of illumination for more than a century. But following an EU directive, the Government banned the import of 100-watt bulbs from 2009. This was followed by a ban on 60w bulbs in 2011 and a full ban on all ‘traditional’ bulbs in 2012.
I never liked CFLs. I am fond of LED lamps. However, I am still fond of incandescent lamps; the greatest invention of the industrial age.
The problem isn’t just that the government has banned incandescent lamps. The problem is the forced conformity and the “one size fits all”mentality of growing tyriannical government(s). The incandescent lamp was outlawed on the premise that 90% of the energy consumed was “wasted” as heat. This is not necessarily true.
For example, we had the coldest, snowiest winter in my lifetime last winter. Rather than light my unheated garage with CFLs or fluorescent lamps, I used my hoarded incandescent lamps because the heat was USEFUL and not “wasted” as the government has decreed.
It is fundamentally wrong for governments to deny consumers informed choice. Nobody wants to spend more money lighting up their home than they have to, but sometimes that “wasted heat” given off by old-fashioned incandescent lamps is useful.
Oh! This will tickle your ribs. Here in America, you can still buy a 100W equivalent Halogen lamp that consumes 72 watts. The technology is owned by none other than GE. Apparently, if you’re GE, you can get a special exception to government rules.
Regards,
TINSC
Thanks TINSC; everything you say I agree with, and sympathize with. At times, it feels as if we are living in the USSR hoarding precious commodities from the politburo.