gurkensaft
Will the light bulbs for the laboratory (Duka bulbs and, in particular, the Opal lamps) remain available in the long term, and are they, like oven or fridge bulbs, also exempt from the EU ban on incandescent bulbs?
Or do we need to hurry up and stock up in good time? :huh:
Regards, Torsten
(who is glad that we are apparently doing so well that such regulations are our biggest concerns)
Gast
I don't think it's as bad as it seems...
I’m sure that special-purpose lamps (magnifying lamps, Dukalamps, etc.) will still be available in the future; if necessary, they’ll be imported – I’m certain of that...
But what I’m also certain of is that it’s all going to be absolutely blooming expensive... In that respect, the idea of stocking up isn’t so far-fetched...
MirkoBoeddecker
The aim of the regulation is not to remove specialised lamps from the market, but to replace incandescent bulbs used in domestic settings with energy-saving bulbs.
So far, I am not aware of anything that might give cause for concern regarding magnifying lamps.
Best regards,
Mirko
cfb_de
The implementing regulation for this EU provision hasn’t been reported in the press yet either.
Several months ago, I already wrote my recommendation to stock up on Duka bulbs.
As far as I am aware, this implementing regulation in Germany has not changed anything in that regard. Then as now, I recommend stocking up. With this post, I am going out on a limb.
Best regards,
Franz
gurkensaft
It’s well known that the goal is a different one.
Whether one thing or another falls by the wayside along the way will probably only become clear later on.
In any case, thank you for your replies!
Best regards from the Allgäu,
Torsten
mdeutgen
So, first of all, I’d like to quote my mentor, who always used to say, “There’s no such thing as ‘electric fruit’”—these things are simply called incandescent light bulbs.
Prompted by Franz’s post, I decided to look into the EU regulation and haven’t found any EU directive so far. However, I did come across two EU press releases that quite clearly refer to domestic incandescent light bulbs. In my view, an opal lamp is neither a domestic lamp nor a so-called “general-purpose lamp”. In my opinion, opal lamps belong to the category of special lamps, which will then be explicitly exempted in an implementing directive.
Let’s be honest, I can’t run an enlarger with an energy-saving bulb; physically, it’s not possible, or only with a great deal of effort.
Martin
cfb_de
Hello Martin,
The relevant regulation can be found – where else? :huh: – on the EU’s website:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUri...003:0016:DE:PDF
What’s important is what’s stated in Article 1, sentence 4: "4. ‘Special lamp’ means a lamp which, due to its technical characteristics or according to the product information accompanying it, is not suitable for general household lighting.”
And that does not apply to opal lamps, as they are in fact very well suited for household lighting and also fall under code 31.50.13.00 from the expert opinion yet to be cited. Unfortunately, this classification was made, as it means that an opal lamp has also become a general-purpose lamp.
Recital (20) specifies this in somewhat greater detail: "(20) When reviewing this Regulation, particular attention should be paid to how the sale of special lamps has developed, to ensure that they are not used for general lighting purposes; [...]” In other words, even if opal lamps remain available, the matter will be settled the moment the first few hundred people fit them to their reading lamps.
In the expert report* on which the regulation is based, opal lamps are likewise not considered separately, but are dismissed in the very first line along with standard incandescent bulbs.
So: better to stock up on opal lamps... They shouldn’t be available from the US due to the wrong operating voltage, and conventional bulbs from China are also out of the question because of separate customs treatment.
They did think of oven lights, but apparently failed to take into account bulbs for enlargers.
My take on things.
Best regards,
Franz
*]:
http://www.eup4light.net/assets/pdffiles/L...c_Task1_V22.pdf, page 11, code 31.50.13.00. This includes opal lamps.
mdeutgen
Hello Franz,
That’s exactly the regulation I’ve been looking for but haven’t managed to find yet. As you know, I’m part of the ‘electrical camp’, so I could only shake my head in disbelief.
Of course, you could use an opal bulb for room lighting, but these are only available in 75 W and 150 W versions and, compared to conventional incandescent bulbs, they’re already priced beyond the pale. I’d be more inclined to go for the oven bulb you mentioned, because, firstly, bedside reading lamps often have an E14 socket, and secondly, a 15 W bulb is more suitable for a reading lamp than a 150 W one.
Regardless, I’m going to stock up now and replenish my supplies – who knows what else might pop into the heads of the people in Brussels.
Oh, and on the subject of US imports: of course it won’t fit, but it still has a certain charm. The luminous efficacy of an incandescent bulb depends on the current. As is well known, in the US the voltage is around 110–130 volts at 60 Hz. The frequency is irrelevant to an incandescent bulb, as it is almost purely ohmic resistance, and the voltage can be adjusted with a transformer; an electronic circuit would also work. You’d have the advantage of slightly better luminous efficacy, but I doubt whether that’s worth the effort of the external circuitry.
Martin
RolandLindner
Hello,
I don’t see it quite so pessimistically; here is an extract from Article 3
(2)
:
From 1 September 2009, the following applies:
In the case of special-purpose lamps, the following must be
stated in a clearly visible and legible manner on the packaging
and in any form of
product information with which the lamp is placed on the market:
a) the intended use of the lamp
and
B) a statement that the lamp is not suitable for general household lighting
.
The technical
conformity assessment documentation referred to in Article 8 of Directive 2005/32/EC shall, where applicable,
set out the technical characteristics on the basis of which
the lamp
is
deemed suitable for the specific purpose stated on the packaging
In that case, an opal lamp would be unsuitable for domestic use because it is not intended for that purpose, and would therefore still be available for sale in specialist shops.
Have a lovely week
Roland
thomas_l
Hello!
I do not agree with Franz’s legal interpretation. The Regulation provides for two definitions of the term ‘special lamp’, which are alternative and not cumulative. A lamp that is suitable for general lighting is considered a special lamp if it is defined in the product description as not being suitable for general lighting. In my opinion, therefore, the Commission Regulation does not preclude the manufacture and sale of opal lamps etc. This is in line with what Mirko wrote.
This means that it depends on whether the product descriptions are adapted accordingly or not. This is not a legal question, but an economic one.
Theoretically, it would of course also be possible for the Member States, rather than the EU, to ban opal lamps (and then blame the EU for it); I am not aware of any such plans at present, but I do not have any inside information on the matter either.
Thomas
orwograph
I’ve rarely come across a ban as absurd as this one on incandescent bulbs. They should just tax the things and be done with it. What’s the point of banning people from using them? Nobody can stop me from hanging up 200 11-watt energy-saving bulbs in every room and switching them on. Which nobody does, and which would consume far more energy than a 200-watt bulb that I’m not allowed to buy. I find laws like this simply totalitarian. If I want to encourage people to save energy, I need to provide financial incentives to adopt new technologies rather than sticking with the old ones. It would make far more sense for CO2 reduction, for example, to ban excessively powerful car engines or to impose even higher taxes on fossil fuels in general.
I suspect that the incandescent bulb ban has a completely different motive. Compare the fuse box of a three-room flat built in 1955 with one from 2005. What stands out? Exactly. In 2005, there is estimated to be three times as much in there as in 1955. And back then, practically all private rooms were lit by incandescent bulbs. The electricity grids, which are under increasing strain from ever more communication, convenience and other private home technology, urgently need breathing space. Nothing more. Removing incandescent bulbs from the private sector frees up large grid reserves that are urgently needed.
What I find so annoying about the whole thing is that it’s all being done under the guise of those pesky CO2 savings, but in reality it’s an emergency brake, because the general public wouldn’t go along with, say, a cap on per-capita power consumption or a ban on PCs. Nobody’s going to take to the barricades over incandescent bulbs (except for a few idiots like me B)
And why do people still use those evil incandescent bulbs?
1. Because they’re cheap
2. Because they light up instantly
3. Because the light colour is more pleasant, more like a cosy campfire than those glowing gas plasmas in fluorescent tubes.
As the examples of analogue photography and the steam locomotive show: you don’t need to ban old technologies to replace them. You can either bring better technology (for one reason or another) to market (which, in the case of light bulbs, only applies in terms of energy efficiency; in the three points mentioned, the old bulb performs better than the new technology) or artificially increase the cost of the old technology (through taxes, duties, etc.), as with petrol, tobacco or alcohol. In this way, niche products would be spared, and the goal of energy saving would still be achieved.
Peter.
MirkoBoeddecker
Here is the response from the manufacturer of the Opal lamps:
Dear Mr Bädecker,
Opal lamps also fall under the exemption:
They have specific colour temperatures and a maximum lifespan of 100 hours.
The lamp is clearly labelled as a photolamp on both the bulb and the packaging; furthermore, we affix the required
label on the packaging bearing the symbol ‘not approved for domestic use’.
We market these lamps clearly as special-purpose lamps.
Yours faithfully,
Ilona Schnee
Head of Order Processing
Special Lamp Factory
Wolf_XL
...I’ve already had a heated argument about this in another forum, because personally I don’t actually think this ‘ban on incandescent bulbs’ is all that bad... And reading this now, I feel my opinion has been confirmed...
It really does seem ‘typically German’ to immediately suspect a return to dictatorship or the downfall of Western civilisation whenever there’s a new government regulation... And above all – nothing new, please – because ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’... I’m not denying that some regulations haven’t necessarily been scrutinised from every possible angle – but a categorical rejection doesn’t get us anywhere either... So instead of wriggling like eels, we’d be better off channelling our energy into coping with the new circumstances. Ultimately, that’s far more effective than trying to turn back the clock...
And to return once more to the much-vaunted European regulatory frenzy: as long as, upon the announcement of a new regulation, the legal department is immediately tasked with finding ways to circumvent it, we needn’t complain about increasingly detailed and complicated laws. Quite apart from that – precise and binding legal requirements are also a form of consumer protection! I simply have a legal right to what has been described in precise terms. And the more precise that description is, the less often the courts need to be called upon to clarify it...
mipo
Hello everyone,
We’re talking about light bulbs here :-) – or incandescent bulbs, of course.
Does this EU regulation actually apply to halogen bulbs as well? In other words, does it include the ones in our colour-mixing heads?
Best regards,
Michael
cfb_de
Hello everyone,
We’re talking about light bulbs here :-) or incandescent bulbs, of course.
Does this EU regulation actually apply to halogen bulbs as well? In other words, does it also apply to the ones in our colour-mixing units?
Best regards,
Michael
Hello Michael,
Not at the moment; that’s only planned for later.
Best regards,
Franz
Harrydg0cao
Hello and good evening,
I’m new here and thought I’d have a go at posting on such a tricky topic.
Since the ban on incandescent bulbs is now law, special photography lamps are also set to become very scarce in the foreseeable future. At least, that is the fear. These photography lamps – whether opal, DUKA or halogen – are presumably manufactured in ordinary incandescent bulb factories that produce hundreds of thousands of general-purpose bulbs every day. These special lamps are certainly manufactured on the same machines. To do this, just one or two parameters are changed, and for half an hour opal lamps roll off the production line, followed by another half-hour for oven lamps or fridge bulbs. That covers the world’s annual demand.
If standard light bulbs were no longer sold, these factories would perhaps only operate at full capacity for one day a year. It is clear what would happen. The factory would close. But that would also mean the technology for the ‘permitted’ lamps would be lost. What use, then, is the statement that there are no legal issues regarding photographic (or other special) lamps? They simply could no longer be manufactured.
But we photography enthusiasts are not alone in this development. I fear the same development for car bulbs. Soon a car will have to be scrapped because a Bilux bulb has broken... :(
Greetings from Stendal
Harald Redlin
thomas_l
Hello!
I don’t think so, because – should such a situation arise – there will be niche producers. After all, you can get everything for 8mm film, for example
Best wishes, Thomas
