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Thursday, May 26, 2011


US incandescent light bulb ban imminent (2012)
The phasing out of the most wasteful domestic incandescent light bulbs in the US is getting closer. The following EDN article offers a useful summary of the latest news and the LED alternatives that now look feasible for those wanting bright white light and to use dimmer switches, without wasting vast amounts of energy producing unnecessary heat.

Energy-efficient lights to gain from incandescent ban

At A Glance

- The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictates phasing out incandescent light bulbs starting in 2012.

- To satisfy consumer demands, energy-efficient lights must also be instant-on, work with currently installed light switches, deliver a warm- to bright-white light, cost-effectively save energy, and have a lifetime of more than 10,000 hours.

Margery Conner, Technical Editor -- EDN, May 26, 2011

The 100-year-long reign of the incandescent light bulb is about to end. Rather than bemoaning its death, lighting-circuit designers would do well to see the opportunity in offering a light with instant-on, that dims without flicker, and that is reliable and cost-effective.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictates the phase-out of the incandescent light bulb starting in 2012 (Reference 1). The bill does not specifically ban incandescent lights: You will still be able to buy any incandescent light that can meet the act’s efficacy specification of a 25% improvement in incandescent-light output. The lights are notoriously poor producers of usable light, however. They lose 96% of the power they use to heat; hence, Hasbro uses them as the heating element in the Easy-Bake toy oven. So far, no one has discovered a cost-effective way of coaxing more light and less heat from incandescent lights.

Nevertheless, both state and national governments, as well as consumers’ preference for saving money in the face of rising energy costs, are signaling the end of the line for common incandescent light bulbs. Herein lies an opportunity for engineers in creating lights that not only replace incandescents but also enhance the home or commercial environment through automatic energy savings and create a pleasant lighting environment.

Lighting technologies such as LED, fluorescent, and halogen are vying to become the new ubiquitous light source. The challenge in the near future is to provide a lighting experience that matches consumers’ expectations for how a light should work. Consumers don’t necessarily want incandescent lights but rather lighting “experiences” that match their expectations—lights that come on instantly; work with currently installed light switches, including TRIAC (triode-alternating-current)-based dimmers; deliver a warm- to bright-white light; cost-effectively save energy, and have lifetimes of more than 10,000 hours.

read more here...

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Megaman CFLs do not use phenol in electric circuits
Ban The Bulb has received the following press release from Megaman about the phenol controversy.

It is interesting to note that they do not use phenol in their electric circuits, although other manufacturers do, and that they are using shatter-proof silicone to help prevent their compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) from releasing mercury vapour, as a result of accidental breakages, in the home.

28 April 2011

To whom it may concern

MEGAMAN® ’s statement on recent press report about “Energy saving lamps (CFLs) can emit harmful substances”

Recently, a German magazine “Markt” (meaning Market) run by the NDR Television Channel conducted a laboratory test on energy saving lamps for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Lamps from five brands were tested: Osram, Attralux, Rubin, Müller-Licht and IKEA. MEGAMAN® lamps were not tested. The laboratory test report claimed that during operation CFLs can emit harmful substances (e.g. phenol) known as VOCs.

We would like to state that MEGAMAN® uses water-based adhesive and water-based phosphor coating in the production of our CFLs. No phenol is used in our production
process. MEGAMAN® products are entirely safe to use in both domestic and commercial environments.

MEGAMAN® energy saving lamps meet all the legal requirements of the EU RoHS directive. And by using a safe amalgam instead of liquid mercury, all MEGAMAN® lamps are completely safe even if broken. Furthermore, the shatter-proof silicone coating on many models makes breakage quite difficult and provides an additional level of consumer safety.

The said laboratory tests were carried out in a small chamber, not in a real living room. The test results therefore do not reflect anything like a “Real Life” situation. This is supported by the German Federal Agency for the Environment (UBA).

“The concentrations of VOCs from energy-saving lamps, which we expect indoors, are very low,” the spokesman said, “We do not see any health risks through VOC-emissions of energy saving lamps.”

When asked to comment on the test report, the spokesman of UBA made the following statements.

“Because of the electronic and electrical equipment (e.g. TV, computer and mobile phones) in use today, VOC emissions are common and plentiful. Concentrations of up to 300µg/m³ are seen as normal and harmless in indoor air.”

“If we assume that a CFL is normally used in a small room (volume around 30m³) then we have to divide the measured test chamber concentration by at least 1000. The test results therefore indicate that the true concentration of VOCs in a room of that size would be around a few micrograms/m³ (1,9µg/m³ for a new and strongly emitting lamp). That means that the additional emissions caused by a CFL are just a tiny part of the normal concentration of VOCs common in interior rooms, and may safely be ignored.”

“We do not see any urgent need for action caused by the publication of these results. An exclusive evaluation of this matter will be presented within a month by the indoor air commission of the Federal Agency for the Environment.” (Source: Federal Agency for the Environment (UBA), Press Office)

Stiftung Warentest (German product test foundation) presents different results regarding indoor air pollution compared to the results of the NDR test. Stiftung Warentest regularly measures VOCs in its energy saving lamps tests. In its current energy saving lamps test 3/2011 no noticeable results were found regarding indoor pollutants. Both tested MEGAMAN® lamps were ranked “very good” regarding indoor pollutants. (See Attachment for Stiftung Warentest test report 3/2011)

Should you have any enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Sharon Pang
Senior Brand Manager
Neonlite Electronic & Lighting (HK) Ltd
Email: sharon@neonlite.com.hk

Ban The Bulb was also pleased to note the Megaman are working with the Migraine Association to test whether there is any link between CFLs and migraines.

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