Has the ban on incandescent light bulbs sparked a trend?

Europe banned incandescents from being imported in 2009 to decrease the public's use of incandescents and therefore energy consumption. However, incandescents are still being used with loopholes such as an industrial use bulb which is advertised as a 'rough service' bulb but are still suitable for home use.

Not only that but the filament bulb is a big interiors trend. People want the warm glow of an incandescent and even prefer to see the actual filament. It makes sense as a filament is a lot more appealing than a set of chips but then again that's not really noticeable when the bulb is lit. This trend could be the result of simple nostalgia for a bulb that has recently been made redundant for its large energy consumption and short lifespan. The trend could have even been through bulb companies who lose out to the long lifespan of LEDs - it's no secret that the market for incandescents was easier and a lot more lucrative than the LED market.

The trend is so popular that there are even different types of filaments available such as squirrel cage. These filaments are also not affected by the ban as they are created for 'decorative purpose'.

To combat this interior trend, some companies are trying to produce LED versions of these retro bulbs though the difference is quite noticeable. This means that for now incandescents are more than likely to be around a little while longer but as technology develops and people adapt to change, it might not be too long before LEDs or even OLEDs become the norm and set some interior trends of their own.