Phasing Out Incandescents

Approximately 70% of worlds light bulbs are produced in China - almost all of which are incandescent. A new program organized by The Global Environment Facility has encouraged the nation to phase out incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient ones within the next 10 years. China is the first country to join the program, and a formal announcement is set to be made in December; Mexico, Indonesia, Venezuela and Costa Rica are also prospective countries to sign on.

As the program picks up momentum, the short-term goal of the organization is to start getting CFLs into the hands of the poor. As it is now, a florescent bulb cost 4-5 times more than incandescent bulbs, but last 10 times longer and use about a fifth of the energy. The problem is, most of the worlds poor can’t afford to spend the extra money at the time, and opt for the inefficient bulbs.

Ironically though, the overall plan to phase out the production of incandescents should also solve the program’s short term goals of getting efficient bulbs in the hands of the poor. Because the program is slated to be worldwide, it would reduce the number of types of bulbs from around 30 to just a handful, reducing the cost of manufacturing equipment.

Reuters: China to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs