Lighting experts slam Mail energy efficient bulb scare story

The lighting industry and the government have hit back at reports today that energy efficient bulbs provide an inferior light to traditional incandescent bulbs and can also pose health risks, arguing that such "scare stories" are completely unfounded.

According to a front page story from the Daily Mail today, shoppers are stockpiling their "beloved" 100-watt light bulbs after retailers stopped ordering new supplies of the bulbs under a voluntary agreement with the government.

It said that leading retailers, including Sainsbury's, Asda and Homebase, had already sold the last of their traditional 100W bulbs while others only had sufficient supplies to last only a few more days.

The EU is to impose a ban on sales of 100W bulbs from September as part of its energy efficiency drive, but the UK government brokered a deal with the supermarkets last year that will see the bulbs phased out from the start of this year, cutting annual carbon emissions by an estimated five million tonnes.

The Mail claimed that the move had prompted "panic buying" as shoppers seek to stock up on traditional bulbs that they claim offer superior light. It also argued that inefficient incandescent bulbs were cheaper to buy and easier to dispose of, while claiming that many energy efficient bulbs did not work with dimmer switches.

In addition, the paper cited concerns amongst unnamed experts that compact fluorescent bulbs pose a health risk and can trigger epileptic fits, rashes and migraines.

The report was slammed by both the lighting industry and the government, which claimed that CFLs represented a safe, high quality, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional bulbs.

A spokeswoman for Defra said concerns about the suitability of CFLs were entirely unfounded. "Nearly all energy efficient bulbs now are designed to work with bayonet and screw cap fittings and models are available that work with dimmer switches," she said. "Also last summer the Energy Saving Trust ran the Light Bulb Pepsi Challenge at shopping centres across the country and found that the vast majority of people could not tell the difference between the light provided by the different bulbs."

Industry body the Lighting Association also issued a statement arguing that health concerns related to CFLs have been overstated.

It said that while there had been a small number of cases of energy efficient bulbs being blamed for triggering fits, the older models that had been thought responsible had since been replaced by new bulbs that operate at a higher light frequency that do not have any known health impact.

It also argued that while energy efficient bulbs would already save users around £80 in reduced energy bills over the life of the bulb, up front costs were likely to come down still further as manufacturers begin to exploit greater economies of scale.

"CFLi lamps have evolved to the point where good quality lamps now are usually very similar in functionality to incandescent lamps," the Association said. "They last longer and they will continue to get smaller, better, more efficient, safer and less expensive."

Concerns over the Mercury contained in CFLs was also downplayed. The Lighting Association said that all CFL bulbs were in line with EU regulations governing the use of hazardous substances, adding that guidance was widely available to ensure consumers dispose of bulbs safely. Next generation halogen and LED bulbs that do not contain Mercury should also soon become widely available.