Australian government goes green on us

As of 2009, Australia will be the first nation in the world, to force all people to use only compact fluorescent light bulbs. This kind of stupid green socialism would be typical from any one of our Labor led state governments, but whats really enraging is that it was announced by our supposedly moderate federal government. In fact, it was devised by none other than the Liberal party's new minister for the environment, Malcolm Turnbull.

I really hope that some drastic event happens that makes the government backflip and drop this awful promise. I wouldn't wish that they lose the next federal election, because the ALP are even worse and would regulate our lives and trample our freedom to no extent, with promises to regulate industrial relations and implement the Kyoto protocol, along with other grand schemes.

What are they going to do to enforce these light bulb laws ? Invade our homes and check our light fittings ? Its our property and our right to do with it as we please. When you restrict what people can do with their property, you erode the very fundamentals of property rights. I cannot emphasise enough how important property rights are in developing a free and prosperous society where people are motivated to save, work and look after their private property.

So anyway, Greenie Watch has a list of some of the massive problems we can soon expect from these expensive compact fluro light bulbs.. hopefully we won't have to wait till they are compulsory for the media to create an uproar.

1. Compact fluorescent bulbs are almost always Edison (screw) type, whereas most Australian lighting uses bayonet fittings. This could no doubt change but may push up costs because the lights would have to be made for just the Australian market.

2. They are often physically larger than the incandescent bulbs they replace and simply may not fit the lamp or fixture conveniently or at all. People often have very fancy light-fittings that cost hundreds of dollars. Millions of those may have to be abandoned.

3. The funny elongated or circular shape may result in a less optimal lighting pattern.

4. Many models have light output claims that are only achieved at the optimum operating temperature and/or in some optimum burning position that achieves an optimum internal temperature. Many light output claims are outright exaggerated, often by about 15 percent and in a few extreme cases by 25 percent.

5. Compact fluorescent lamps usually do not produce full light output until they warm up for a minute or two. A few models require about three minutes to fully warm up and produce as little as 20-25 percent of their full light output when first started.

6. Some types may produce an annoying 120 Hz (or 100 Hz) flicker.

7. There are many small incandescent lamps (e.g. in refrigerators) that could not conceivably be replaced by the bulky fluoros we have today. Technology MAY be able to solve that but the costs will probably be large. The compacts we have today are already the endpoint of a big effort at downsizing.

8. May produce Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).

9. The up-front cost is substantial (unless there is a large rebate): $10 to $20 for a compact fluorescent to replace a 60W incandescent bulb that costs 40 to 70c.

10. Due to the high up-front cost, the pay-back period may approach infinity.

11. While their life may be 20,000 hours, a wayward ball will break one of these $10 to $20 bulbs as easily as a 40 cent incandescent.

12. Few commonly available compact fluorescent lamps designed to fit into 240 volt ordinary light bulb sockets match or exceed the light output of a 100 watt standard incandescent lamp.

13. Lots of people just don't like the type of light they get from fluoros -- to glary, too white, too flickery etc.

Greenie Watch also has the following update from one of their alert readers:

Update:

A reader adds:

"The untold story here is that it is a tax grab by the gubmin. There are approx 7.4 million households in Australia and I would guesstimate there are on average 10 light bulbs per household. With the average cost of the fluoro replacement being $15.00 this generates $1.50 GST per unit fluoro to the gubmin x 10 x 7.4 million = $111 million tax grab. Added to this is the number in all other locations likely doubling the number of light bulbs. Since these fluoros are manufactured mainly overseas you can most likely double the tax take due to import tarrifs. We are looking at a half Billion Dollar rip-off by the gubmin."