Energy saving bulbs for the home...........
21 December 2008, 12:17 PM
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Energy saving bulbs for the home...........
Went to Wickes last night to get one, took it to the till, "That'll be £1.94 sir, or you could go back, pick two more, and pay £0.97 for the THREE".
So, people, that's the offer: ANY three energy saving bulbs for 97p for three.
Just don't do what I did, and buy so many you fail to notice that half of 'em are Edison Screw thread
Oh well, I can use 'em in the French house
So, people, that's the offer: ANY three energy saving bulbs for 97p for three.
Just don't do what I did, and buy so many you fail to notice that half of 'em are Edison Screw thread
Oh well, I can use 'em in the French house
21 December 2008, 01:21 PM
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They can also bring on migraines in certain people as we found out with my wife 
We do however use them in the room that are not used as much as say the kitchen and living room. Short exposure seems to be ok.
We do however use them in the room that are not used as much as say the kitchen and living room. Short exposure seems to be ok.
21 December 2008, 01:27 PM
#7
Have replaced all but a couple in our house, if nothing else its less time faffing about changing dead filament bulbs, the one in our lounge has three bulbs, they last a month or two then conk out withing hour of each other, ok the dimmer doesn't work but they aren't that bright anyway, I suspect they wont make much difference to the overall bill seeing as the Dishwasher, tumble drier and other appliances are on all the time anyway.
They are getting cheaper to persuade people away from incandescent bulbs.
They are getting cheaper to persuade people away from incandescent bulbs.
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21 December 2008, 01:47 PM
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21 December 2008, 02:15 PM
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Addition:
Energy-saving bulbs 'can cause migraines' warn experts | Mail Online just done a quick search and found this
Last edited by PaulC72; 21 December 2008 at 02:16 PM.
21 December 2008, 05:36 PM
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21 December 2008, 06:46 PM
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Can't remember the last time I had a 'normal' bulb blow.....must be several years ago. Plus if you do some searching you'll find that the *energy saving* bulbs don't actually save as much/last as long as claimed because they have to be *switched on and off* ...
Umm. Yes they are - 3 100W bulbs for 87p last week.
My eyesight is at the 'need reading glasses' stage - and 'normal' bulbs are just soooo much better. Hey, horses for courses - you like them you buy them! I do use them on the hallways etc where reading isn't an issue but that's it.
Oh, and the EU bans mercury (so no barometers with mercury in etc etc) but makes *energy saving* bulbs compulsory - which contain mercury vapour ..... the UK government advice (whichever dept. this falls under) when an eco bulb breaks is to evacuate the room for 15 minutes or thereabouts! And it's about saving the planet/consumer protection? B*llocks!
Dave
Umm. Yes they are - 3 100W bulbs for 87p last week.
Oh, and the EU bans mercury (so no barometers with mercury in etc etc) but makes *energy saving* bulbs compulsory - which contain mercury vapour ..... the UK government advice (whichever dept. this falls under) when an eco bulb breaks is to evacuate the room for 15 minutes or thereabouts! And it's about saving the planet/consumer protection? B*llocks!
Dave
Last edited by hutton_d; 21 December 2008 at 06:48 PM.
05 May 2009, 10:54 AM
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.... Oh, and the EU bans mercury (so no barometers with mercury in etc etc) but makes *energy saving* bulbs compulsory - which contain mercury vapour ..... the UK government advice (whichever dept. this falls under) when an eco bulb breaks is to evacuate the room for 15 minutes or thereabouts! And it's about saving the planet/consumer protection? B*llocks! ..
Saw the article below and thought I'd resurrect this thread. Seems we've exported our environmental problems somewhere else. But it's OK. We're saving that bit of the planet that's Europe .....
'Green' lightbulbs poison workers - Times Online
Dave
05 May 2009, 11:06 AM
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05 May 2009, 12:11 PM
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GE developed these Compact Flourescent Lamps (CFL's) back in the 1970's and the likes of Osram and Philips joined in soon after. All of these established household name Manufacturers (and some others, such as SLI Sylvania) had production facilities in the West making these lamps for many years. I am sure we would all know by now if the employees at these plants had been dropping dead or falling seriously ill from Mercury poisoning. All fluorescent lamps contain Mercury, not just energy-saving CFL's, but there is no worldwide health scare that I am aware of.
Thanks to globalization, production drifted East. Firstly to former Soviet states like Hungary and Poland and then to India and China. I have never visited China, but have visited 7 CFL factories in India in recent months. The Indians are doing their best to satisfy high-quality western standards, by using the very best materials to ensure long lamp life and yet still offering a very low price thanks to cheap labour costs. Many of the Chinese plants, in contrast, are producing cheapo rubbish from inferior raw materials, that will scarcely last any longer than a regular incandescent lamp. I would therefore not be at all surprised if their Health & Safety records also left a lot to be desired!
To give you an idea of "you get what you pay for": a regular western-quality Indian-produced CFL is retailing IN INDIA for about 115 rupees (= about GBP 1.50 each).
I would suggest that the bulbs available in the UK today with these mega-offers are not of the high quality we are accustomed to. I have had two or three freebies blow in my house in the past few months, from the likes of my energy provider and a daily newspaper.
Thanks to globalization, production drifted East. Firstly to former Soviet states like Hungary and Poland and then to India and China. I have never visited China, but have visited 7 CFL factories in India in recent months. The Indians are doing their best to satisfy high-quality western standards, by using the very best materials to ensure long lamp life and yet still offering a very low price thanks to cheap labour costs. Many of the Chinese plants, in contrast, are producing cheapo rubbish from inferior raw materials, that will scarcely last any longer than a regular incandescent lamp. I would therefore not be at all surprised if their Health & Safety records also left a lot to be desired!
To give you an idea of "you get what you pay for": a regular western-quality Indian-produced CFL is retailing IN INDIA for about 115 rupees (= about GBP 1.50 each).
I would suggest that the bulbs available in the UK today with these mega-offers are not of the high quality we are accustomed to. I have had two or three freebies blow in my house in the past few months, from the likes of my energy provider and a daily newspaper.
05 May 2009, 12:23 PM
#24
Saw the article below and thought I'd resurrect this thread. Seems we've exported our environmental problems somewhere else. But it's OK. We're saving that bit of the planet that's Europe .....
'Green' lightbulbs poison workers - Times Online
Dave
'Green' lightbulbs poison workers - Times Online
Dave
Something I've always warned about CFLs is the mecury in them. Whatever you do don't drop one! If you do, treat the broken glass like any other toxic substance. (read up on mercury poisoning)
Admittedly, it not as much of an issue these days as ROhS compliant bulbs contain less mercury and is mixed into an alloy, so it solidifies when cold...thus the increased warm-up times on some ROhS bulbs (and why some rattle when you shake them). However, the mercury alloy is still toxic, just a little safer to handle when cold (still a danger if the bulb is broken whilst operating, in which case there is a danger of inhaling vapourised mercury - but why don't the labels on teh box warn you of this?
).
Last edited by ALi-B; 05 May 2009 at 12:27 PM.
05 May 2009, 12:42 PM
#25
I would suggest that the bulbs available in the UK today with these mega-offers are not of the high quality we are accustomed to. I have had two or three freebies blow in my house in the past few months, from the likes of my energy provider and a daily newspaper.
Yes you can repair CFL bulbs. So long as the elements each side of the tube have resistance (not open circuit), the problem is teh ballast. And in the cases of the cheap bulbs, its usually the rectifier diodes at fault (which sometime burns the PCB). They are just plain old 1N400x diodes which are a just few pence in bulk and no too hard to replace if your dab handy at fiddly things and soldering
Sometime another fault can blow the diodes (damp in the instance of bulbs used in bathrooms or in outdoor lamps), so its not always the diodes, but you usually find out shortly after replacing them 
Why do I repair a 99p bulbs?
Well, its greaner (less toxic waste)
Diodes cost just a few pence (I still have loads left over from my alarm fitting days)
Beats making airfix models (it serves a useful purpose)
And more importantly...I'm getting my full 99pence worth of CFL
Last edited by ALi-B; 05 May 2009 at 12:45 PM.
05 May 2009, 12:54 PM
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Admittedly, it not as much of an issue these days as ROhS compliant bulbs contain less mercury and is mixed into an alloy, so it solidifies when cold...thus the increased warm-up times on some ROhS bulbs (and why some rattle when you shake them). However, the mercury alloy is still toxic, just a little safer to handle when cold (still a danger if the bulb is broken whilst operating, in which case there is a danger of inhaling vapourised mercury - but why don't the labels on teh box warn you of this?
)." ... How should I deal with a broken CFL? Although the accidental breakage of a lamp is most unlikely to cause any health problems, it’s good practice to minimise any unnecessary exposure to mercury, as well as risk of cuts from glass fragments.
Vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust. Sweep up all particles and glass fragments and place in a plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp cloth, then add that to the bag and seal it. Mercury is hazardous and the bag should not be disposed of in the bin ... "
[Emphasis mine]
If it's not that dangerous why vacate the room and don't inhale the dust ..???
The US also has similar but more far reaching instructions at Spills, Site Cleanup and Disposal | Mercury | US EPA
" ...
- The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
- Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
Sorry, but I've a good supply of good old incandescents and know where to get more of the 100W variety so I'll be keeping those until LEDs become viable.
Dave
05 May 2009, 12:59 PM
#27
I'm aware of it, hence why I put this:
Originally Posted by ALi-B
Something I've always warned about CFLs is the mecury in them. Whatever you do don't drop one! If you do, treat the broken glass like any other toxic substance. (read up on mercury poisoning)
05 May 2009, 09:41 PM
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No statistical data but only from our own usage POV when we tried them out they gave her a migraine after prolonged use where normal bulbs do not.
Addition:
Energy-saving bulbs 'can cause migraines' warn experts | Mail Online just done a quick search and found this
Addition:
Energy-saving bulbs 'can cause migraines' warn experts | Mail Online just done a quick search and found this
Interesting,
My other half suffers from migraines, and has been getting a lot recently.
now we have a multitude of different lights in the house.
Low energy in the hall / bathroom /
normal incandescant in the bedrooms (dimmers)
240V G10 in the downstairs rooms (dimmers)
will give the article a read, and see what it says
Mart
06 May 2009, 01:29 AM
#30
Fluorescent lights and LED bulbs running on AC mains can cause migrains.
Guy I studied with at uni had to wear dark tinted glasses indoors because of it.
I belive the main issue is with old CFLs and strip lights with poor quality ballasts: Old strip lights are notorious (I remember one hall we used to have lectures in was known as the headach hall due to basically all the tubes/lights being shagged and flickering at 50hz - we ended up boycotting it ).
IIRC the reasons are either because of a lack of gas in the tube to keep a constant arc, or the ballast/starter is too weak to strike a strong enough arc to fully light the tube, and so flickers at a reduced output.
Guy I studied with at uni had to wear dark tinted glasses indoors because of it.
I belive the main issue is with old CFLs and strip lights with poor quality ballasts: Old strip lights are notorious (I remember one hall we used to have lectures in was known as the headach hall due to basically all the tubes/lights being shagged and flickering at 50hz - we ended up boycotting it
).IIRC the reasons are either because of a lack of gas in the tube to keep a constant arc, or the ballast/starter is too weak to strike a strong enough arc to fully light the tube, and so flickers at a reduced output.