Should the old style, cheap light bulb be phased out?

kiwi expat (Vietnam)
Thursday June 19, 2008 I sometimes used these bulbs before I left NZ but the expense and fit were problematic. Here in Viet Nam, they are standard. There is every sort of fit, they are very cheap and much cheaper than the few incandescent ones around. They also last considerably longer which is quite useful when you have a 12 to 14 foot ceiling stud which is common here. I've never found the light insufficient but I do find I use light differently; more lamps and more mood lighting usually with a 5 watt bulb, which is also perfectly sufficient for reading in bed at night. High ceiling fixtures have larger, coiled bulbs again, more than adequate. The supply of electricity here falls very short of demand so 8am to 6pm power cuts are regularly scheduled. In Saigon, this occurs once a month but other regions are hit more severely. Be grateful for what you have and look after it. By the way, what's happened to the great Kiwi ingenuity? Surely there are some bright sparks out there who can come up with other solutions to this and the many energy problems that are being faced around the world.

Dolly (Auckland)
Thursday June 19, 2008 Stuff this environmental nonsense. The resources the greenies are trying to save are all finite, so regardless of what we do they will eventually be gone. Let's worry about permanent replacement options instead of stupidly allowing our quality of living to be degraded in the interests of preserving finite resources. Eco bulbs are fine in some situations, not in others (mercury disposal anyone?) and incandescent bulbs only seem to offend in using a slightly less miniscule amount of power. Let the market decide on their sale, not the nanny state.

Bruce (Wellington CBD)
Thursday June 19, 2008 I'm not happy. These new eco-friendly bulbs look ugly. I want elegance.

Diana (Oamaru)
Thursday June 19, 2008 I'm not happy about these CFL's with the problems and dangers associated with them. Have them in my house at the moment and they are rubbish. I intend to remove them at the weekend and donate them to our local recovery park and will be stock piling proper light bulbs for the future. Furthermore, I am annoyed (yet again!) to be told what I can have in my home and what I can't. No-one is going to tell me what type of light bulbs I can use!

mchaggis (Kamo)
Thursday June 19, 2008 Just another case of our freedoms and range of choices being eroded by the state. Surely in a free and democratic society, the simple option of choosing such a basic and necessary commodity as a light bulb from a range of products, should be left to each individual concerned, without any interference whatsoever from the state! Perhaps next on the agenda, could be state limitation in the choice and range available of sanitary items, or even toilet necessities etc etc, as well as installing a loo meter in our homes, to monitor the number of times we go to the toilet and the amount of toilet paper we use in the process, all in the name of keeping NZ environmentally safe and friendly! It seems as our options are becoming more and more limited, NZ is in a backward spiral towards becoming a third world banana republic dictatorship, thanks to the interference of the state! Only the electorate can rectify this, so the responsibility of brining about free and positive change for the better, is in our hands.

Richard (Browns Bay)
Thursday June 19, 2008 Another ill conceived, miss timed crackpot idea - Does the same Government have any idea what to do with the mercury? A search of the archives will reveal a story of a women in the 'States (Kansas I think)who somehow got around to calling 911 around 12 months ago to ask what to do with the glass of an accidentally broken globe. Next thing her house was sealed off, tent thrown over and invaded by a team of people in scary space suits. She got a bill for over $20,000 (if memory serves me correctly) for the clean up. I'd look up the article but i just couldn't be bothered.

Hawkeye Pierce (Ohakune)
Thursday June 19, 2008 The so called eco friendly light bulbs will not fit into some of my light fittings. I will have to replace the fittings and send the green (hippie) party my bill. Oh, and now I have to pay extra to dispose of them. the green (hippie) party will be charged for this. And what about the poison in these bulbs? The green (hippie) party are not in touch in the real world.

H D (Auckland)
Thursday June 19, 2008 These energy saving bulbs are fluorescents. They are bad for people's eyesight. I only use them in areas of the house where no reading or other close work is done eg: hallways. And apparently they also give out radiation. They would be no good in children's rooms in case of breakage. The health risks of energy saving bulbs alone will make me join the incandescent stock pilers.

Beach lover (Snells Beach)
Thursday June 19, 2008 I agree with comments above: Why is the government so concerned with controlling our actions (telling us what we can and can't do) yet so neglectful of what's most important - focussing on needs like education. Maybe they assume we have no ability to think for ourselves? If they continue on this path our society will be full of mindless, poorly educated zombies, living restricted lives based on cans and can'ts, not free thinking. It's not that I'm against laws and regulations - my concern is that the government has its priorities all wrong. Yes, we should learn to be more energy efficient but we need to be smarter about getting there. What of downstream consequences (disposal, mercury contamination, unseen health risks)? What about other ways to be energy efficient - public transport issues, house insulation and building standards, alternate energy sources? Where is the long term strategic thinking? I'm tired of poorly thought-out, 'rushed' legislation and panicked decisions. I too will start stock-piling if this comes to pass.

CorporateRefugee (Albany)
Thursday June 19, 2008 This is anti-smacking all over again. The price of MMP - the government staying in power by bribing the Greens. Who cares what the public think when your politicians salary is at stake?

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