This banning madness finally arrived into Europe as well, but sometimes some cure appear .

I think that banning incandescents is okay because with the technology of CFL's there is no reason to use them. (for some applications). My home has been converted to CFL's for 2 years (I wonder who thought to do that) and I don't even by regular light bulbs anymore. The government isn't wrong in banning incandescants, but it really isn't needed right now. They should focus on more important things, like global political affairs..... BTW- i live in the U.S.   

If there is a technology to be banned, it's the CFL.
It is based on fluorescents, but does combine the most adverse condition for their operation, and the only reason is to somehow fit into luminaire designed for way different technology.
This lead to complex tube shape, so:
high thermal load, so high operating temperature,
  so very large thermal inertia,
  so very low initial efficacy and very long run-up time
The ballast has to be very close to the lamp, so operate on very high temperature (for the electronic), so it degrade quickly, so short lifetime.
In total this lead to half the efficacy, short lifetime and very large mercury dose, compare to linear tube.
To mitigate this cost extreme effort, high cost and the results are bastards, that do not fit, so waste most of their light output, warm-up long, overheat, are expensive and last no longer then few thousand hours (in real life, not on the paper).

All this in the time, when we do have mature linear flourescent technology, what might offer nearly unlimited lifetime (for domestic use the 70+k is more then the house will last as itself), 90..100lm/W, wide color selection, already diffused light (so no light losses in light diffusing elements), low surface power density, so they operate at nearly ambient temperature, so no warm-up time at all. What is missing are "living room capable" luminaires - and here i see no governmental effort at all, worldwide...

I think that banning incandescents is okay because with the technology of CFL's there is no reason to use them. (for some applications). My home has been converted to CFL's for 2 years (I wonder who thought to do that) and I don't even by regular light bulbs anymore. The government isn't wrong in banning incandescants, but it really isn't needed right now. They should focus on more important things, like global political affairs..... BTW- i live in the U.S.   

Dude, banning incandescent is wrong in few reasons....

I am deaf and I need bright lights for flashers since I don't hear alarm clocks, or hear doorbells or anything, and I have noticed CFL burn out VERY QUICKLY when flashed and flashed...plus as Medved said, they require warm up time...he's right also some programmed start CFL aren't gonna work with my flashers too, so it upsets me when people support the ban forgetting some reasons why we NEED incandescent going since CFL are not that reliable!

Plus do you see all those CFL fires that has happened, I even read the article that the fire department in Canada are actually concerned about the dangers of CFL fires! You should read those....plus imagin perhaps a little child in a playroom breaks a CFL and doesn't tell parents and gets poisoned by mercury?! How about the radiation that CFL emits?  There were some reports that some people eyesight have blurred from using CFL as a table lamp and closely...(also desk lamps). What about the bad power factor from CFL? (yes there was an article about CFL having bad power factor, also they have DIRTY power too....)


So CFL are NOT good in all applications......There are more more reasons why we can't JUST ONLY use CFL.......but you are right they should not focus on banning incandescent right now...but still.....we still need to have incandescent for a few reasons....I wouldn't mind LED when they get perfected and when they actually are a LOT cheaper......

My house is about 25% CFL, 15% halogens and rest are incandescent.

Medved knows what he is saying!

I agree.  CFLs aren't quite there as a cure all yet.  There are some applications where they work fine, but still many cases they fall short.

I think they should ban the import of inefficient Chinese incandescent bulbs.  A Westinghouse Lighting imported 60 watt 1000 hour soft white lamp is rated at 730 lumens vs. a GE/Philips/Sylvania 60 watt 1000 hour soft white lamp rated at 840-850 lumens.  Even the GE 57 watt bulbs are more efficient than the imports, rated at 770 lumens.

Jace, you are deaf??

What is the problem, you can buy retrofit halogen bulbs which look exactly the same as their standard incandescent counterparts.

The price of CFLs has gone down, and even though their lifetime may be rather short (few thousand hours) and efficacy just moderate (60lm/W), they still last a lot longer and consume A LOT less electricity than incandescent. In return, you pay the same (at worst) or less.
Plus you can get a rainbow of colors, I hate the 2700K incandescent light so I can buy my 4000K CFLs.

What is the problem, you can buy retrofit halogen bulbs which look exactly the same as their standard incandescent counterparts.

The price of CFLs has gone down, and even though their lifetime may be rather short (few thousand hours) and efficacy just moderate (60lm/W), they still last a lot longer and consume A LOT less electricity than incandescent. In return, you pay the same (at worst) or less.
Plus you can get a rainbow of colors, I hate the 2700K incandescent light so I can buy my 4000K CFLs.

CFL is not as much of a problem under 230 volts, but they are a problem under 120 volts, and is a fire risk! Because of the added parts inside the CFL for the USA and where ever has lower voltage. Plus our CFL from the 80s and early to mid 90s actually lasted a LOT longer, like 10 years! So they have had made the quality way too cheap, which is also another reason of a fire risk! The Philips Marathons we had in circa 1995 was VERY well made. Today's stuff JUNK and Dangerous!  Not to mention the spiral shape i beleive is more breakable than the straight tubes since they have to bend the tubes thinning the outside glass and the bottom coating is too thick decreasing the efficiency and dont make a good table lamp bulb, however screwing them in base up risks fire....

Now I don't mind the low wattage halogens, they are something I like, but there is a group of people who are EVEN against lower wattage halogens and any other types of lamps that is above CFL! So are those halogens even gonna survive a ban this certain group wants to ban?

I say it again: that ban is shameful. Right now I'm writing this post under the light of a Westinghouse 15W inside frosted lamp. A nice dim and soft light. I grew up in that dim, pleasant light, and even if I don't want to see the incandescent lamps disappear, they WILL disappear. That's why I started a collection, which is growing up FAST. 

Anyway I agree with all of you. When you're wondering if a CFL will melt, catch fire or just stop working, there's a problem!

15W lamp? For many years my room light has been a 160W mercury blended lamp, and later a 70W MH lamp. Currently it is a 40W T8 linear fixture, or a little 85W CFL lamp, to save the running hours of my favourite 400W mercury lamp.

I am beginning to wonder if the incandescent ban is really a good idea....

I wonder how much energy to manufacture all the components for the electronic parts for the CFL?

I wonder how much toxic material we need to use to assemble the CFL?

I wonder how to depose those toxic material on CFL compare to incandescent when it is used up?

Do I need to go on?

I think that banning incandescents is okay because with the technology of CFL's there is no reason to use them. (for some applications). My home has been converted to CFL's for 2 years (I wonder who thought to do that) and I don't even by regular light bulbs anymore. The government isn't wrong in banning incandescants, but it really isn't needed right now. They should focus on more important things, like global political affairs..... BTW- i live in the U.S.   

Wow, just wow, just a note, some people like my ex, CAN'T use CFLS for medical reasons, CFLs are TOTAL GARBAGE! and I hate them! Plus the fact that I'm on the borderline for mercury poisoning....need I say more?!

I am beginning to wonder if the incandescent ban is really a good idea....

I wonder how much energy to manufacture all the components for the electronic parts for the CFL?

4 times more factory energy!

I wonder how much toxic material we need to use to assemble the CFL?

A lot more for sure, plastic itself is toxic.....the microchip making isn't exactly 100% environmental friendly......plus if environmentalist was soooooo serious about saving Earth, they would make adaptors and the CFL bulb itself separatly instead of leaving both built in together

I wonder how to depose those toxic material on CFL compare to incandescent when it is used up?

Well if they stopped making junk and made really goood quality CFL, less toxics will be disposed cuz the mercury will be used a lot longer.......as theve proven to last forever....but there's serious conflict between environment and corperate companies.....so if corperate companies think more of quanity than quality....we are better off with some type of incandescent until they improve incandescent technology....

Do I need to go on?