Ireland goes green with light bulb rules and car tax

[jpak]

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0660168620071206

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland will ban traditional light bulbs in favor of energy-saving alternatives from 2009 and penalize high-emission vehicles from July 2008, Environment Minister John Gormley said on Thursday.

Presenting Ireland's first "carbon budget" a day after Finance Minister Brian Cowen outlined spending and tax plans for next year, Gormley said new energy efficiency standards would mean an effective ban on the sale of most traditional light bulbs.

"The aim of such a move will be to end the use of incandescent light bulbs in Ireland," Gormley, who is leader of the Irish Green Party, told fellow lawmakers. "These bulbs use technology invented during the age of the steam engine."

The move would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700,000 tonnes a year and shave 185 million euros ($269.3 million) a year off householders' electricity bills, he added.

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[rodeodance]

1. and our HOuse just passed an energy bill but a Veto threat looms large.

[DCKit]

2. Fluorescent bulbs are not suited for short "on/off" cycles

Closets are a prime example (unless you're a Republic and spend ALL your time there). The cathodes burn off a little each time they're switched on.

The energy cost of an incandescent bulb in use for a minute a day is offset by the monetary and environmental cost of burned out CFLs.

Cheers to the rest of the plan!!

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Note the legislation does not require CFL's

LED's would be just ducky for closets.

[DCKit]

4. They'd be great, last a lifetime, but the initial cost? YIKES. n/t

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. LED's are expensive

Yes, the upfront cost is significant (to say the least) and their efficiency is currently not that much better than CFL's. However, the price is coming down, and the efficiency is improving. At this point, I would hazard to say that LED's are the future of lighting.

[GliderGuider]

6. Ireland will need to move a lot further and faster than this.

Their energy supply is 86% oil and gas. Globally, oil has peaked already and gas will follow along by 2025 or so. To make matters worse, the UN expects Ireland's population to increase by perhaps 50% by 2050. That combination translates to a potentially dramatic drop in average incomes.

Emission reductions and light bulbs are but baby steps down the the road they need to travel. Measures to reduce their population growth would be a good start, as would a fuel tax of a pound or two per litre, major investments in wind power and subsidies for commercial and residential energy efficiencies.

What they're doing is very light green. They'll have to run a lot harder than this to stay ahead of the energy depletion curve that's coming.