I’ve now got energy saving dimmers, and energy saving bulbs in every shape and size. It was a bit of an investment and took some shopping around but the new generation bulbs are much much better. We need to work out how to help those on low income afford these changes.

http://www.nolico.com/saveenergy/dimmable_lamps.htm

Too many people use silly excuses.

You can also get smaller spotlight bulbs that are energy saving too.

The flourescent lamp is not sustainable, it contains lethal mercury and other components that cannot be disoposed of like the incandescent lamp. If you break one you should get a specialist to clean your home (additional power to do that too).Fluorescent tubes are banned from ordinary disposal by district councils. The tubes must either be collected or their owners must travel to special disposal units (additional petrol costs).

As well as that the environmental costs of mineral extraction is said to be higher.

At this point I’d like also to mention the hidden dust-to-dust costs of the Prius battery operated car which does not benefit from economies of scale because of its specialised production, and the costs of maintaining wind turbines in the long term which never seem to be discussed.

But before takling any drastic steps like banning ordinary lights, the quality of energy saving lights should improve and their prices should come down so that everybody could afford them.