Coming to the U.S. in 2012: Dim Bulbs

Yesterday, selling 100-watt incandescent light bulbs became illegal in the E.U. (Other wattages will phase in over the next few years). In 2012, laws that will have essentially the same effect kick in in the U.S.

The U.K.'s Telegraph checked out some of the new bulbs, and finds that they are nowhere near as bright as advertised:

Buyers of the main type of energy-saving bulb, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), are told on the packaging that they shine as brightly as an old-fashioned bulb. For example, an 11W CFL is labelled as being the equivalent of a 60W incandescent bulb.

However, the European Commission, which was responsible for the ban, has now conceded that this is "not true" and that such claims by manufacturers are "exaggerated".

The Sunday Telegraph has conducted its own tests on level of illuminance provided by light bulbs from different manufacturers to see whether their claims stand up to scrutiny.

We found that under normal household conditions, using a single lamp to light a room, an 11W low-energy CFL produced only 58 per cent of the illumination of an "equivalent" 60W bulb – even after a 10-minute "warm-up".

More on why compact florescent bulbs are the choice of two out of two commie dictators here.

Via the Twitter feed of Walter Olson.