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Philips says industry at ‘tipping point’ on energy-saving bulbs

Philips says industry at ‘tipping point’ on energy-saving bulbs

ASSOCIATED PRESS

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – European light bulb makers are close to an agreement in principle to work together on phasing out energy-wasting incandescent bulbs for the consumer market, the chief executive of royal Philips Electronics NV’s lighting division said Monday.

Philips is the largest lighting maker globally, followed by Siemens AG, known for the Osram-Sylvania brands. General Electric Co., whose founder Thomas Edison patented the incandescent bulb in 1880, is biggest in the United States.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Theo van Deursen said “the tipping point is very close, to be frank, for the (European) lighting industry” to agree on a phase-out of incandescent bulbs in the home.

He said an announcement from a group of major producers could come as early as this week.

Energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, were introduced decades ago, but their adoption has gathered momentum recently amid worries about human impact on global warming and rising energy costs.

Earlier this month, Australia’s government announced plans to ban incandescent bulbs within three years, while a California lawmaker has introduced a bill seeking to do the same in the state by 2012. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, began actively promoting the bulbs.

This Associated Press article was printed in the Spokesman Review on 2/27/07

We were surprised that there was no mention of LED lights in this article. Because flourescent lights contain mercury, they pose of problem with disposal. LED lights can last up to 100,000 hours and contain no mercury. Here is a link to an article from Science News Magazine that explains what LED (Light Emitting Diodes) are: http://www.greenbusinesses.net/news.php?id=17

Below are links showing various companies that sell LEDs and/or assessories, with some very good examples of the beauty and utility of the lights.

http://www.i2systemscom/products/index.htm
http://www.illumivision.com/products/?manufacturer_ID=1
http://www.mplightingcom/en/html/LED.html
http://www.renaissancelighting.com/
http://www.rsalighting.com/
http://www.tirsys.com/products/architectural-led.htm
http://www.si-lite.com/index.php?cat=98
http://eng.optiled.hu/photos.html
http://www.lumidrives.com/Products.aspx

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