100 watt bulbs to be banned in September

[andy11]

Interesting newspaper article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1107290/Revolt-Robbed-right-buy-traditional-light-bulbs-millions-clearing-shelves-supplies.html

It says that the EU will ban the sale of traditional 100w bulbs from September this year, but criminal charges for anyone still selling them won't happen until 2016.

Stock up now!

A 20w energy saving bulb in my house packed up after just 3 months of very low use. The box said it would last 10 years. The traditional 100w bulb it replaced had been in use 20+ years and hadn't failed. I am going to take the energy saver back if I can find the receipt.

[breezer]

andy11 wrote:

Stock up now!

start a panic buy.

I dont care anyway, never had a 100w lamp

[sparkyspike]

I wouldn't bother stocking up. There must be millions about, and they'll still be available at markets etc until 2016 and beyond. And hopefully by then, low energy lighting will be cheaper and more reliable.

[Taylortwocities]

sparkyspike wrote:

......... hopefully by then, low energy lighting will be cheaper and more reliable.

But they will still have to go to special handling areas for disposal due to mercury etc..... add to that the additional energy used to make th things and IMO not as 'green' as they are made out to be.

[ban-all-sheds]

Not only make them, but mine and refine all the raw materials - a lot more than glass & tungsten.

Plus they are heavier, which puts up transport costs.

And they are made in places where environmental concerns are not high on the list.

I'm far from convinced...

[NoPoke]

sssshhh don't anyone mention the mercury inside the CFLs

[JohnD]

In there a news article availablr from a reliable source (not the anti-Europe Daily Mail)

it also says

The low-energy fluorescent bulbs can trigger skin rashes, migraines and epilepsy.

They can also be more expensive. Currently, an average supermarket price for a six pack of standard 60w pearl light bulbs is £1.21, but a single 60w low energy stick light bulb already costs around £2.19.

what a load of rubbish

[sm1thson]

^I have heard that more mercury is released into the atmosphere from the extra coal used to in feeding the extra energy in tungsten bulbs, although i dont think i believe it.

transport costs go more by size so its not really an issue. and if they lots of energy to make them then the cost would need to include the cost of the energy used so they would cost more than they save (apart from they are produced abroad so energy is presumably cheaper, but without quantifying it its not a valid argument)

for me its more to do with been tight than been green, so I am a big fan of CFL, Ive done the sums and checked in practice and in using them i save money, it bugs me at my parent house seeing all the less efficient lighting and them moaning about the cost of it 'turn that light off' (although a demonstration with a clamp meter has had my dad looking for new ways to save energy)

there are instances where cfl doesnt 'fit'. but i dont understand people who are stockpiling (i have heard of supermarket shelves been cleared, by people stockpiling), surely its a better investment to invest in something which is cheaper in the longrun then investing in something that will cost much more to use.

for those who take note of my ramble note that in my experience 'general electric' cfl's are crap -take ages to turn on and give any respectable amount of light. most others have been fine (phillips, tescos own etc). years back i did get one that was a very blue light (it was from the pound shop when cfls cost a lot more than a pound so i wasnt expecting much from it) -it would be handy if they gave the colour temperature on the package so you can choose ones with better phosphors now they have improved in this area.

[ericmark]

I do wonder in a centrality heated room how much heat goes to waste?
It is the same with every energy saving device they seem to be reviewed in isolation.
A tumble dryer which heats the air and blows it through the cloths shows as being better than one which cools the air to condensate out the water then reheat to extract more moisture using a refrigeration unit but it does not take into account the first type blows out hot air meaning the central heating has to heat the replacement air.
This continues next is the TV with all new TV's taking 1 watt on standby how does using a device to switch off TV when switched to standby which also uses 1 watt save energy?
Says it saves energy how?
And the list continues how many people replace tungsten lamps with discharge lamps without realising the huge difference between inductance controlled florescent to the HF florescent?
It's all a big con.
My 70 watt metal hydride lamps may be much brighter than next doors 500 watt quartz halogen but he thinks I am OTT and has no idea of how they compare.
Look at a compact florescent and tell me which are switch mode? 38 watt 2D unit switch mode uses a lot less than 38 watt inductance controlled but very few people would be aware but of course once everyone has bought the inductance type then they can tell everyone and get them to buy yet another lamp.
Its all to do with making money and very little to do with saving energy.
Eric

[swbjackson]

I'm waiting for decent led lamps to go mainstream. You'll be looking at something like 10w equivalent of a 100w light bulb then.

[JonB]

Another downside to the new bulbs, they can interfere with the working of Virgin Digi Box remote control.
JonB

[david_uk]

My problem with the alternatives to incansedcant is that the quality of light is not comparable. My wife hates the light from cfl's. Cfl's have been around for some years, but this issue hasn't been addressed - maybe it's not technically possible to do so. But until they are, they don't come in the house!

[NoPoke]

Each of the different lighting technologies has uses.

My own experience of CFLs is that whilst they do last longer than tungsten lamps they are unsuitable for intermittent short duration use, the elctronics inside the lamps is often very poor and the construction quality of a lamp can be as bad as the very worst you may see from the far east. they do not start instantly and light output and quality varies over the life of the bulb. I have had CFLs fail within 3 months where a similar tungsten lamp would last a year.

LEDs have fewer issues than CFLs other than the major one that the light colour is poorer.

None of the alternatives produce a light that has as high a quality as that emitted by a halogen bulb.

I have no axe to grind and use CFLs , LEDs, incandescent, and halogen. For each useage there is a tradeoff and even though I will prefer low energy lamps if only to keep the rinsing 'leccy bill down I still use incandescents where the alternatives are unsuitable or produce a much poorer living environment.

We should use CFLs - where appropriate. We should not need legislation to force this, education and financial incentives ought to be enough. Or maybe I expect too much from my fellow man.

[Can't remember where I read the instructions but if a CFL or flourescent lamp breaks whilst in use the recommendation was to ventilate the room for 30 minutes : a typical CFL contains a few mg of mecury and the TLV is <0.1mg/m^3 like many TLV figures this number keeps falling]

Sure if you generate power from a coal source then the mecury contribution from the power plant will be higher than that embodied in a CFL bulb. I have no idea if the power plant scrubbers are effctive at limiting this mecury from escaping into the environment.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

[2scoops0406]

where does all the heat go from a tungsten bulb?

[empip]

Heat?? Or not??
http://www.edn.com/blog/1470000147/post/1420034342.html

Quote:

...Are there any hobbyist usable electronics parts inside a CFL? How do they work, anyway? And when they burn out, why have they burnt out? Let's take some apart and see!...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Take-apart-a-Compact-Fluorescent-Bulb