# Light bulb ban



## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Has anybody else heard about this?

I just caught it on Radio 2. Apparently they are going to make all opaque/frosted lightbulbs illegal as of September this year and over the next 4 years phase out all other lightbulbs unless they are energy saving ones.

How will this effect us reptile keepers?

There was a guy that rang up Radio 2 and said he keeps reptiles so what is he supposed to do?

I can't really find anything else about it anywhere though.

Can anyone shed some light on this?


----------



## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Sadly it is correct.
The ban comes into effect on September 1st, initially banning 100W clear bulbs and all frosted/coloured bulbs, with a full ban on all incandescent bulbs to follow.
Shops will be allowed to sell their current stock, but will not be able to replace them, so once they are gone, you will not be able to get more.

It is all thanks to the EU.

How it will effect us keepers is that those of us who use bulbs to heat vivs will have to find alternative methods once bulbs are no longer available, with the added cost of ceramic bulbs/heaters/guards/heat resistant cables/pulse stats etc.


----------



## nighthunte29 (Dec 28, 2008)

im gunna stock up on spot lamps from wilko's!


----------



## Phil Barnaby (Oct 22, 2008)

What a great idea, ban incandescent bulbs and replace with heavy (mercury) metal ‘energy efficient’ that should not be disposed of except at specialist facilities for handling heavy metals. 

Hurrah for the tree huggers again, solve one problem and create an even more major one.


----------



## gaz0123 (Aug 19, 2008)

what about uv tubes and basking lights


----------



## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

UV tubes are not incandescent bulbs, so are unaffected.
If the basking lights you are thinking of are light emitting spot lights etc, then yes, they too are affected.


----------



## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

I was under the impression that 'specialist' bulbs, i.e. those that are not for human comfort lighting, were not effected?


----------



## herpzane (Apr 1, 2008)

This will also affect reptile companies. As many also supply bulbs. What are we to do then? Use ceramic? I thought u shouldnt use these with some reps?


----------



## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Lunacy!

What about the strip lights in fish tanks??


----------



## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

I know that there are more than one way to heating reptile tanks with strips, cables and such but what do people do about the reptiles (primarily lizard keepers such as beardies) which require a hot spot basking lamp? People could stock up before they are made illegal but when they are gone what is there to do?


----------



## LFBP-NEIL (Apr 23, 2005)

there all going to be banned you should buy as many lightbulbs as you can now ... Reptile Lighting - UVB lights, spot lamps, basking lamps and daylight bulbs for snakes, lizards and amphibians




And for the less sensational amongst us i refer you to section 5 in the below link.......
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:076:0003:0016:EN:PDF


----------



## Alex (Jun 14, 2009)

They are not banning Flourescent tubes ,Uv tubes, or compact flourescent . they are banning the incandescent globe shape bulbs and candle shape bulbs (the ones that come in 25w 40w 60w 100w) Lucky i can stock up on 25w 40w and 60watts from poundland and wilko lol


----------



## robster84 (May 5, 2009)

will gu10 spotlights be banned too


----------



## Lotus Nut (Jan 7, 2008)

The ban may not apply to reflector lamps such as exoterra as they are merked as for retile use and not domestic general lighting though some clarification on the packaging may be required stating they are not suitable for domestic lighting.
Reflector lamps may still be ok and could be classified as special purpose or directional lamps as they provide a beam of light and are not for general lighting.


----------



## Dave W (May 6, 2009)

*basically we are stocking up 

when they are gone there gone i will not pay 4 pund for a bulb lol

i will then resort to ceramic heating with an energy at the side to give the illusion of sunlight.

**B:censor:'d tree huggers :devil:*


----------



## Exotic Mad (Jul 11, 2009)

just to let you all know i have spoken to hagen and the ban is on the manufacturers so companies like exo terra, komodo etc will be unaffected. this means you won't be able to get cheap bulbs from wilkos etc but all the reptile branded bulbs will be unaffected


----------



## Nodders (May 11, 2009)

Exotic Mad said:


> just to let you all know i have spoken to hagen and the ban is on the manufacturers so companies like exo terra, komodo etc will be unaffected. this means you won't be able to get cheap bulbs from wilkos etc but all the reptile branded bulbs will be unaffected


Yeah "Pink" above you linked to the article stating that these would'nt be affected , section 5 .

(5)​​​​Products subject to this Regulation are designed essentially
for the full or partial illumination of a household
room, by replacing or complementing natural light with
artificial light, in order to enhance visibility within that
space. Special purpose lamps designed essentially for
other types of applications (such as traffic signals,
terrarium lighting, or household appliances) and clearly
indicated as such on accompanying product information
should not be subject to the ecodesign requirements set​
out in this Regulation


----------



## InternetReptile (Aug 2, 2008)

I can also confirm they are unaffected. 

Basically what the ban means you won't go out and buy a bulb from your local DIY store that is meant for home use. BUT you can get the same thing in a branded reptile box and all is fine. I wouldn't go rushing to buy branded bulbs, but it'd be an excellent time to stock up on cheap spot bulbs from wilkos if you use them,.


----------



## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Does this mean that lightbulb manufacturers could still sell normal lightbulbs as long as they have a sticker on the box somewhere saying they are for reptile use? lol.


----------



## InternetReptile (Aug 2, 2008)

Ozgi said:


> Does this mean that lightbulb manufacturers could still sell normal lightbulbs as long as they have a sticker on the box somewhere saying they are for reptile use? lol.


Kind of... if the matter were to be investigated, it would be the real intended use that mattered... ways of getting around bans would be likely to get them in even more trouble.


----------

