Bypassing EU ban on light bulbs: turning old bulbs into mini heaters
October 12, 2010 12:00 AM
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A German entrepreneur is bypassing a European Union ban on light bulbs of more than 60 watts by marketing his own brand as mini heaters: the so-called heatballs! Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs -- by producing them in China, importing them as "small heating devices" and selling them as "heatballs."  To improve energy efficiency, the EU has banned the sale of bulbs of over 60 watts. According to the term of this ban, shops are no longer allowed to buy or import most incandescent frosted glass bulbs since Summer 2009. Retailers can continue selling off their stock until they run out. The ban is one of a series of measures to support the EU goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Everything from televisions to washing machines to tiny motors are being made more energy-efficient.
Mr. Rotthaeuser studied EU legislation and realised that because the inefficient old bulbs produce more warmth than light -- he calculated heat makes up 95 percent of their output, and light just 5 percent -- they could be sold legally as heaters.
On their website, the two engineers describe the heatballs as "action art" and as "resistance against legislation which is implemented without recourse to democratic and parliamentary processes."
Costing 1.69 euros each, the heatballs are selling well -- the first batch of 4,000 sold out in three days. You can buy them here.
Rotthaeuser has pledged to donate 30 cents of every heatball sold to saving the rainforest, which the 49-year-old sees as a better way of protecting the environment than investing in energy-saving lamps, which contain toxic mercury.
Let's see what the EU Commission, the master of the EU Treaties, and the German authorities, the competent enforcement authorities, will think about this move.
Achtung Mr. Rotthaeuser: heatballs do burn in the long run! |
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