Its ridiculous of course. A law made by lawyers and environmentalists who know nothing about the science, or basic science in general.

I can only hope this gives a push to the development of better alternatives. It should also make current options cheaper.

Good news! We are taking a step in the right direction...

And did we mention that the new bulbs, which certainly do not last nearly as long as promised, contain mercury, a known poison? A classical example of manufacturers getting the govt. to force us to buy their product, not the cheaper, better product of their competitors.

I much prefer the golden, warm light from normal incandescent bulbs over the harsh blue-white light of the energy-saving ones. Too bad the world is making it hard to buy the ones I like! Let's hope good alternatives that are energy-saving can be quickly developed and marketed.

1watt of power usage versus 40watt + I will use led lights ..thanks

Even in a nominally free society, subjects have remained free enough to "vote" with their wallets (Euros) against the tyranny of oppressive government regulation. Hurrah for those Dutchies who value the liberty of free choice in lightbulbs! It's a good start!

De Oppresso Liber.

I was always under the impression that the energy-efficient light bulbs will cost less in the long run. Not only because they lower the electricity bill, but also because they last much longer than regular ones.

The "eco" light bulbs are anything but ecological or enviromentally friendly.
The old bulbs contained glass and tungsten. Non-polluting and recyclable. They had "poor efficiency" because they produce extra heat.
So.. with the new "eco" bulbs people will use more central heating to compensate. So where is the saving???
And the new bulbs give some people migrane. And they are not recyclable. Worse, they are full of toxic materials like mercury. And cost more to produce.
The only winners here are the "eco" lamp lobby who managed to bribe or delude our Glorious Leaders into legislating against something which was simple, effective and non-polluting.
There is now a massive gap in the market for normal light bulbs..

If anything, energy saving bulbs are worse for the environment than 'normal' bulbs because of the toxic heavy metals they contain (mercury). People are not educated enough on how to dispose of used ones properly (I see too many in garbage bins), and the ones that are properly collected end up stock piled at some factory where they are never properly decontaminated. We needed better (and cheaper) alternatives before phasing out normal bulbs!

Typical shortsighted enviro junk science. Fact is CFL's are more hazardous to the planet than incandescent's. True they give off a lot of heat compared to the light they emit, but in our Dutch Winters, is that really a bad thing?

Thanks for the mercury CFL's!

Fortunately the Ontario and Canadian Govt's have established a relief of at least a # of years before any old bubs will have to be replaced

Fortunately the Ontario and Canadian Govt's have established a relief of at least a # of years before any old bubs will have to be replaced

Reminds me of when they introduced the new health insurance system. Erase the cheap version, and force everyone to take a much more expensive alternative... :-(

The prices for the energy saving bulbs should be the same or less. Why the insane markup?

I think it's absurd that the government can ban our options.

Once again, choices are being made for us and we have no voice on this matter.. the same as a few years ago forbidding 90% of the cigarette choice, OV-chip & next year unnecessary weed passes, right?

More like dictated to than represented :P

I used to buy a pack of five 60w bulbs for €1. Today I paid €6 for one of the new bulbs. The packaging claims it will last 10 years, if it doesn't do I get my money back?

@Andy, as if the warmth by light bulbs has any noticeable effect. Nobody turns on the light because of the cold. The warmth generated by light bulbs is pure waste. It is about time that this inefficient madness is stopped. I am glad we have Europe, because most national governments are far too conservative to make these decisions.

Finally a step forward, LED are many many times better than the traditional light bulbs, both in light quality and lifespan. the companies that didn't phase over or embrace the new technology have only them selves to blame...

Pepe, I'm afraid I disagree about the warmth of light bulbs having no noticeable effect. In vivariums it's the standard, and in an old house that I lived in, the light bulbs were left on to keep houseplants from freezing indoors in winter. Yes,sub-zero indoors. Poverty can be a vicious circle.

Has anyone tested the new light bulbs to see if they destroy the visual purple in eyes which allows for night vision? Fluorescent bulbs are known for this nasty problem.

I am very very glad to see this ban finally being implemented. I am only sorry that it took so long, and I'm very sorry that many people must be forced to save energy and forced to try to do at least something that is more sustainable than 'the same old thing', which if you read the news, anyone can clearly see that the same old thing is no longer working. People will probably have to be forced to stop using fossil fuels when the time comes, even though probably at that time, our kids will all have respiratory problems and skin diseases caused by air pollution.

i disagree, ppl's choice should precede local light bulb maker interests.

plus, i am not sure led lamps look good on a Swarovski crystal chandelier.

For those commenters that need recycling information on the new energy saving lights, please check this site: http://locatiezoeker.wecycle.nl/consumenten.php
There are plenty of places to recycle these new lights here.