The “great light bulb debate” may have divided the nation but the media coverage has been somewhat one sided. The newspapers that have devoted huge chunks of space to the subject are overwhelmingly against the phase out – either anti EU for implementing the bulb ban or anti CFL, the energy saving bulbs that will in the most part replace the old bulbs. What’s been missing is the other side of the debate, welcoming a technology which will move us a significant step closer to reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
To get a sense of the feeling of the nation you probably have to look beyond the Daily Mail and read people’s comments on online forums. We know that nearly 9 out of 10 people already have at least one CFL in their home so we can’t all be completely against CFL technology. It’s not exactly the science bit, but, from what we’ve seen online it’s quite an even debate. Yes there are those who don’t like the fact the ban has been ‘imposed by the EU’, but there are also those who can see the benefits of using a light bulb that lasts 10 times as long, uses approximately 80% less energy and will ultimately save them money.
The ‘bulb ban’ heralds probably the most significant change to the way we light our homes since the invention of the incandescent lightbulb over 120 years ago, and it is therefore bound to stir up strong feeling. It will be an ongoing battle to persuade certain media to see the light (sorry) when it comes to CFLs but it’s an interesting debate to be part of and we’re up for the challenge.
Magdalen Bush
