What consumers should look out for:
In terms of wattage, the ratio of fluorescent to incandescent lamps is 1:4, not the 1:5 that manufacturers claim.
For domestic use, Warm-White lamps (a warm, slightly yellowish colour) are recommended over Day-light or Cool-white (a cold colour with a slight blue tint).
Lamps should have a double envelope to protect the tubes that produce the light.
Energy-saving fluorescent lamps must always be recycled, because the mercury they contain is extremely toxic. The European Directive makes it mandatory to recycle at least 80% of these lamps.
Consumers should ask for certified products that guarantee luminous efficacy, user safety and environmental friendliness.
What the state must do:
The European Regulation sets limits for luminous efficacy, radiation emission, ultraviolet emission, lifetime and the mercury content of lamps.
A market surveillance authority must therefore be established, mandatory for all EU countries, to check that all imported lamps comply and to protect the interests, health and safety of citizens, as well as the environment.
Benefits for the consumer:
According to EU statistics, using this type of lamp saves 5% of a home’s total energy consumption. That means a saving of about 50? per year, per household.
Consumers also gain ?60 for every CFL they buy, thanks to its lower consumption and its much longer life of 6-10 years, compared with 1-2 years for an incandescent lamp.
Benefits for EU countries:
The benefits for EU countries are correspondingly very large. Every year 40 TWh (40 billion kWh) will be saved, and carbon dioxide emissions will fall by 15 million tonnes per year.
The financial benefit for member states will amount to 5-10 billion euros per year (electricity consumption in EU homes > 800 billion kWh).
Risks to health and the environment:
CFLs must contain a maximum of 5 mg of mercury, or 4 mg to receive the eco-label. To put this in perspective, a dental amalgam filling contains 50 mg of mercury, and old mercury thermometers 500 mg!
As far as health is concerned, no evidence has been found of harmful effects from ultraviolet or electromagnetic radiation. At least up to now.
By Mr Frangiskos Topalis
Professor in charge of the Lighting Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
