# Australia Dumps Incandescent Light Bulbs By jagedge26 | Published 2007-04-12 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/australia-dumps-light-bulbs-for-good References: [news.bbc](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6378161.stm) & [cflbulbs](http://www.cflbulbs.com) How much energy do you want to save? If you're an Aussie, quite a bit it would seem. In late February, Australian Environment Minister Malcom Turnbull announced that energy-wasting incandescent bulbs would be banned throughout the country and replaced by other technologies by 2011. What will they be replacing them with? The current go-to technology is the Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb. According to cflbulbs.com, the average CFL bulb "uses 66-75% less electricity to produce the same amount of light as a comparable incandescent bulb", which translates into serious cost savings for consumers and serious [energy conservation](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/iggy-lamp) and pollution reduction for the planet. Other features bringing people onto the CFL bandwagon include the fact that they last 6-10 times longer than the average light bulb, and produce almost no heat, as compared with the 75-90% inefficiency of standard bulbs. Of course, nothing's perfect, including CFL bulbs, and several people are going out of their way to point out problems with CFL bulbs - namely: 1) It costs more up front to purchase CFL bulbs *(though the cost is more than made up in energy savings)*, 2) poor quality CFLs can take time to warm up and cannot be dimmed*(good quality, electronically-regulated ones do not have these issues)*, 3) they contain small amounts of mercury *(recycling them negates this point, and even if they do make it to a landfill, the trace amount of mercury that could leach into the ground is far less than the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere by a coal-fueled power plant in order to keep a single Incandescent light bulb lit over it's lifespan)*, 4) they do not cast as "warm" a quality of light as incandescent bulbs *(absolutely and unfortunately true)*. An even better choice than CFL bulbs may eventually reside in [LED lighting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/led-grow-light). Unfortunately, the technology is still too expensive for most residential applications. Since the announcement was made, other locations around the world are considering jumping on the bandwagon. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.9/10 - Popularity: 53% | Activity: 56% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **LED Lighting Adoption:** The high cost of LED lighting technology creates an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the residential lighting industry. - **CFL Bulb Improvement:** Addressing the drawbacks of CFL bulbs, such as slow warm-up time and dimming limitations, presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the lighting industry. - **Mercury-free Lighting Solutions:** Developing mercury-free alternatives to CFL bulbs can lead to disruptive innovation in the lighting industry, addressing environmental concerns. ### Where This Applies - **Lighting Industry:** The lighting industry has the potential for disruptive innovation through the adoption of LED technology and the improvement of CFL bulbs. - **Residential Lighting Industry:** The residential lighting industry offers opportunities for disruptive innovation by developing cost-effective LED lighting solutions. - **Environmental Technology Industry:** The environmental technology industry can drive disruptive innovation by creating mercury-free lighting solutions that address the concerns surrounding CFL bulbs. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Smart High-Lumen Light Bulbs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lifx-1.md) - [Candle-Inspired Lightbulbs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/velaflame.md) - [High-Performance Residential LED Lighting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/residential-led-lighting.md) - [Matter-Enabled RGB Bulbs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nanoleaf-2.md) - [Smart Lighting Ecosystems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kajplats.md) - [Ecological Dual Lampshade Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-light.md) - [Translucent Bulbous Pendant Lamps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/big-glow-light.md) - [Smart Home Lighting Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cync-reveal.md) - [Energy-Saving Beer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ad-that-saves-energy.md)