Proposed legislation - compact fluorescents

What does the proposed legislation relating to Compact Fluorescents mean to the NZ theatre lighting industry?

Richard Ponting, CEO of the Lighting Council New Zealand advises that the only lamps to be affected by the changes in October 2009 will be the ordinary household round bulb, rated between 25 Watts and 150 Watts. Other lamps such as candle lamps, reflector lamps, large and small spherical lamps and specialist decorative lamps are not going to be affected and will continue to be available.

Lamps that are used in domestic appliances such as refrigerators and micro-waves will be equally unaffected. However, if suitable lamps are available for these specialist applications you are encouraged to use them if they are to be switched on for long periods of time. The Government has no intention of withdrawing old style incandescent lamps that cannot be replaced by with a new generation, high efficiency lamp of one sort or another and they are working with the lighting industry to ensure that no light fittings will be made obsolete because of these changes.

Manufacturers of light fittings are already starting to design their new products such that the new CFL lamps will fit them. However, it is possible that some fittings in use today may not accept the more common type of CFL lamp, but there are High Efficiency versions of the old shaped lamps available for these circumstances. These can also be used in situations where lamps are not normally on for long periods of time. They do not show the very high savings that are possible with CFL lamps, but they will comply with the Government's regulations. They will also have cost benefits for you as you will be able to use a lower wattage lamp for the same amount of light, they will last twice as long, and they will work on a dimmer.

We suggest you visit the Lighting Council of New Zealand's website as they continue to make more information available which will allow you to make informed choices about your lamp purchases in the future.

- Courtesy Seleco