ONTARIO SET TO BAN BULBS BY 2012

[CARBIZ]

I love the National Post coverage of this today. Terence Corcoran rails against the stupidity. He quotes the Ontario Environment Minister as saying,"It's the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road." Terence points out that Ontario adds 250k vehicles a year to the road.

Isn't it funny that once one loony government (Australia) jumps on the band wagon, others are sure to follow? When I was in Brazil, nobody used incandescent bulbs, most buildings had motion detectors (in our hotel we would often walk into a darkened hallway), yet brown outs were common. Is this what our future holds? I am all for energy conservation, but why are governments in such a "banning mode" these days? Let the consumer decide where compact fluorescent bulbs are appropriate and where they are not.

What a nutjob country Canada is becoming. It is legal to smoke grass in Toronto, but not spray your lawn with pesticides. It is legal for same sex couples to get married, but soon incandescent bulbs will be illegal. I can just see the throngs of gas guzzling cars crossing into Buffalo to smuggle bulbs, booze and cigarettes!

[avant1963]

While I do not agree with "banning" bulbs... Now that fluorescent bulbs are getting to be not as expensive, people will naturally gravitate to them. I replaced most of the regular bulbs in my house with fluorescent when I moved in over 5 years ago, and in that time I have not had to replace one of them. For the amount of money they save in energy usage and replacement costs it's a no brainer. I'd would just not want the government to make up my mind for me. Try them, they are well worth it.

[Oracle of Delphi]

While I do not agree with "banning" bulbs... Now that incandescent bulbs are getting to be not as expensive, people will naturally gravitate to them. I replaced most of the regular bulbs in my house with incandescent when I moved in over 5 years ago, and in that time I have not had to replace one of them. For the amount of money they save in energy usage and replacement costs it's a no brainer. I'd would just not want the government to make up my mind for me. Try them, they are well worth it.

Doesn't most of the world use incandescent bulbs, or do you mean "fluorescent bulbs"?

[Z-06]

What's next? Ban the spicy food so that the gas which we let out causes global warming and pollution?

[Intrepidation]

What's next? Ban the spicy food so that the gas which we let out causes global warming and pollution?

"I fart on you!"

Anway the ban is stupid...especially become there are uses for halogen bulbs. Leave it to Canada

[the_yellow_dart]

Ontario's had more than 25 years of mismanagement. :AH-HA_wink:

One of our four nuclear plants in Ontario was sold to a private company. Nuclear plants are a large investment that has a limited lifespan. Mike Harris, our former premier, leased that nuclear plant to his friend, who started a private company for it. Bruce Power holds the rights to that plant for 25 years, after which time it goes back to the province so that we get to deal with the mess of a dying nuclear plant.

Think of it like this - you share in the expense of buying a cab. Your boss then leases it to his friend for 10 years and you recieve back the rusted hunk of crap afterwards. Thanks a lot!

[CARBIZ]

I was never a fan of Bill Davis (Premier up until 1984, or something like that) but the 40 some odd years of Tory government did help to build the best electrical system on the continent. Unfortunatlely, since then it has been systematically starved and poached. Now, we routinely import electricity from Quebec, Manitoba and New York What is with that?

Sure, I'd love to have fluorescent bulbs in my closets, halls, kitchen, maybe even the bathroom (although that could be scary first thing in the morning!), but the white light is nasty in the living room and anything more than a few candles in the bedroom could be unlawful! :AH-HA_wink:

[balthazar]

Compact fluorescents reportedly contain high levels of mercury and need to be disposed of properly. I read a story where a woman broke one in her house, she called the store, who referred her to the bulb company, who referred her to HazMat. High readings for mercury dust. She got a quote from a private cleaning company: $2000. Her daughter's bedroom is still sealed.

A ban on any product with no hazards attached to it is only motivated by one thing: someone stands to make a s-load of money from the alternative.

This issue totally reminds me of the scenario over Freon- motivated solely by money.

[Intrepidation]

Compact fluorescents reportedly contain high levels of mercury and need to be disposed of properly. I read a story where a woman broke one in her house, she called the store, who referred her to the bulb company, who referred her to HazMat. High readings for mercury dust. She got a quote from a private cleaning company: $2000. Her daughter's bedroom is still sealed.

A ban on any product with no hazards attached to it is only motivated by one thing: someone stands to make a s-load of money from the alternative.

This issue totally reminds me of the scenario over Freon- motivated solely by money.

That and it's very bad for the O-zone

[balthazar]

Not conclusively proven, according to what I've read. Again- in that there was a s-load of money to be made, who today is going to balk at 'a little white lie'?

BTW: R-134 (at least when intially introduced) was likewise highly poisonous, not to mention corrosive and unstable. Some of the very things Freon was developed to omit.

Edited April 19, 2007 by balthazar

[frogger]

Meh I could see by 2012 there will be a better replacement for both CFL and incandescent.

[pow]

Well you guys wanted to reduce energy consumption through means other than increasing fuel economy... I guess this is what they came up with.

Edited April 20, 2007 by empowah

[loki]

Not conclusively proven, according to what I've read. Again- in that there was a s-load of money to be made, who today is going to balk at 'a little white lie'?

BTW: R-134 (at least when intially introduced) was likewise highly poisonous, not to mention corrosive and unstable. Some of the very things Freon was developed to omit.

about the mercury... supposedly it's less than the amount that would be emmited from a coal power plant over a bulbs life. of course, coal isn't everywhere, it's getting "cleaner", but still makes a huge chunk of the USA's power. The only thing with inc. and halogens over CFLs is the UV emmisions are practically 0.

Meh I could see by 2012 there will be a better replacement for both CFL and incandescent.

like LED lights.. which are getting better in the lumens/watt, better than cfl's, just the same reason to use CFL's over incandescents.

the best white LED as of last year was close to 150L/W, where a inc. is in the middle teens lumens/watt, of 60w to 100w typical bulbs

Edited April 20, 2007 by loki

[regfootball]

While I do not agree with "banning" bulbs... Now that fluorescent bulbs are getting to be not as expensive, people will naturally gravitate to them. I replaced most of the regular bulbs in my house with fluorescent when I moved in over 5 years ago, and in that time I have not had to replace one of them. For the amount of money they save in energy usage and replacement costs it's a no brainer. I'd would just not want the government to make up my mind for me. Try them, they are well worth it.

flourescent light is a terrible quality light in comparison to incandescent. in terms of ambience it just does not compare.

[capriceman]

Has anyone tried to read under a fluorescent light? It hurts your eyes. I would stock up on billions of light bulbs. to last me a life time Stick it to man.

[regfootball]

nothing sets off your autistic child like a big bunch of flourescent lights!