European Union ban on lightbulbs leads to a dim future

Energy-saving lightbulbs are inferior in quality to the traditional models covered by the European Union ban.
There is a relationship between the natural and the spiritual. This is another ominous sign for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches.

Matthew 25:1-13 Then shall the (Coming of the) kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the (Coming of the) bridegroom tarried (Long), they all slumbered and slept. (Natural and Spiritual, Catholic and Protestant) And at midnight there was a cry made (An alarm was given as both the natural and spiritual, the saved and the lost all saw and heard), Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone (Going) out. (Natural: Our nation’s light, our nations energy runneth out. – Spiritual: Our vision perisheth, Our discernment faileth us, We have become blind death and naked, the lamp of the Holy Spirit within us has been fully expended and goeth out) But the wise answered, saying, Not so; (That would be impossible) lest there be not enough for us (We see by the Spirit that we can not take the bread off the table from our children or from our households and give unto you, for that would make it so that there is not enough for both Us and for YOU, so that all would perish) and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. (Which requires a selling and buying, a stripping, a cleansing, a rooting out of all that causeth death destruction and darkness so as to allow a place for Life, Healing and light) And while they went to buy, (To repent, cleanse themselves, and to come into a personal intimate relationship with God) the bridegroom came; (They passed Him in the night. They were unable to discern Him as He passed them, as these foolish departed at the worst of possible times, seeking and preparing themselves elsewhere, in their own manner and way. For These Were Not Ready) and they that were ready went in with Him (For the consumation of) to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (The oil here is an experiential -- intimate -- and personal knowledge of God, and the Holy Spirit) Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

1 Samuel 3:1-4 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

By Max Davidson
Published: 7:00AM BST 25 Aug 2009

Traditional lightbulbs are soon to be banned Photo: Getty

If you have missed this story, it is probably because you have been reading your daily newspaper in such poor light that you have given up the struggle.

Since January 1 this year, when leading retailers announced a voluntary ban on stocking traditional 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, those glorious domestic globes with their Rubens-esque curves, the lights have been going out all over Britain. And life is about to be a whole lot darker.

From September 1, shops will no longer be able to buy incandescent opaque light bulbs, which will be banned across the European Union, with the objective of slashing energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions.

It is a noble ambition, in tune with the environmentally-conscious Zeitgeist. Tony Blair probably felt a 100-watt glow of pride as he and his fellow heads of government waved through the proposal at a European Council meeting in March 2007. But the implementation of the new EU directive looks set to cause a worse headache than reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica by candlelight.

How many people even know about the ban? And will all shopkeepers apply it with equal rigour? We are in for one of those periods of retail chaos that seem to originate in Brussels.

In Germany, people are so sceptical about the new compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) that they have been stockpiling the old-style light bulbs. In a mass protest against the dying of the light, sales of incandescent bulbs rose by 34 per cent in Germany in the first six months of this year.

And I don't mind admitting that, in matters of light-bulb morality, I am on a par with the Germans. On Saturday, I nipped out to the shops to buy replacement pearl bulbs while stocks last. I will give way eventually, change to the new CFLs, do my bit for the environment. I just don't see why I should read my morning paper lit by something that looks like a lavatory U-bend. It's too depressing.

"There is a certain amount of consumer resistance to CFLs," says Lizzie Ruffles, of the consumer magazine Which?. "People think – wrongly, on the evidence – that the new bulbs are less bright than conventional ones. New technology always worries people – very similar concerns were expressed when we moved from gas lamps to electricity. The main weakness of the CFLs, which we have surveyed, is not their brightness but the fact that they start to dim sooner than their manufacturers say they will."

In terms of energy saving, the case for the new lights is compelling. Government figures suggest that a typical home will save £37 a year on electricity bills by installing low-energy fluorescent and halogen bulbs, while national carbon emissions will be slashed by an estimated five million tons a year. The new CFLs, which cost around £3 each and in theory last six or seven years, use about a fifth of the energy of a conventional bulb.

"The new bulbs will help you save money and energy," says Paula Owen of the Energy Savings Trust. "And by saving energy, you'll be helping to fight climate change, too."

A survey by the Trust found that half the people questioned could not tell the difference between the traditional bulbs and the new energy-efficient ones. But, unfortunately, I am not one of them. There is a difference, and it devalues the argument to skate over it.

Aesthetically, many of the CFLs I have seen are too hideous for words. Compared with the warm glow of traditional 100-watt bulbs, they give off such a cold, unnatural light that the overall effect is incredibly dispiriting, like a mortuary or a cheap tanning salon. What is the point of saving the planet if we are all going to turn into zombies as a result of the dehumanising quality of our lit environment?

The irony is that, during the period in which we have all become more aware of the importance of energy conservation, many of us have also become much more picky about the lamps we buy. An Italian chandelier here, a glass wall-light there, a concealed spotlight there. We light up the domestic comedy of our lives in loving detail. We are aesthetes as well as eco-warriors.

With luck, we will be able to muddle through, and eventually come up with light bulbs that are both energy-efficient and visually pleasing. But we may have to endure some fairly grim lighting during the transitional period – not to mention wasting time, energy and money buying state-of-the-art light fittings that refuse to go into the sockets for which the shopkeeper insisted they were designed.