The demise of the 100W light bulb or freedom of choice?

The EC is intending to get rid of the incandescent light bulb and has stated that, 'Incandescent lamps will be phased out from the EU market starting in 2009 and finishing in 2012'. Some supermarkets and DIY stores have already voluntarily removed 100W versions of these lightbulbs from their shelves. However, they will still be available in the meantime from specialist suppliers such as ourselves.

We believe that consumers should be treated as intelligent human beings that are capable (mostly) of making up their own minds when furnished with the facts. Consumers should be free to choose which light technology is best suited for their needs. If an energy-saving light bulb is a glaringly obviously choice for their needs, they will surely purchase them. If they're not, they won't. It all seems rather strange that politicians seem unwilling to let market forces prevail and to allow people to exercise their free will - or is there an ulterior motive? Surely now politicians should ban candles given their poor carbon footprint, the risk of smoke inhalation and other obvious safety issues...

And before we get complaints, yes we are green and we do strongly promote energy efficieincy. However there are some applications where the combined heat and light produced by a 100W bulb makes very good sense! So educate, inform and engage, rather than treat consumers like idiots - no doubt a message that will be lost on most politicians.