Why eco-light bulbs aren't what they seem

[george [dicegeorge]]

Think those compact fluorescent bulbs are not as bright as the old-style lights they replaced? You are probably not imagining it.

A guide to the amount of light given by a CFL bulb is given on its box as a comparison to the wattage of an incandescent bulb. But the European Commission says in a FAQ document this can be misleading.

"Currently, exaggerated claims are often made on the packaging about the light output of compact fluorescent lamps - for example that an

11-12-watt compact fluorescent lamp would be the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent, which is not true."

[geoff]

In message , "george [dicegeorge]" writes

[mark]

Is it Groundhog day? :-)

[OG]

You mean manufacturers give 'best case' figures on their packaging? Extraordinary!

[ransley]

You must be a incandesant bulb salesman. Here is the US we dont share your ignorant line, we have independant magazines that have verified the truth, Consumer Reports, Popular Mechanics did reviews, Incandesants are nothing but electric heaters that output light as a byproduct. Of course you know that only 4-6% of the energy used by an incandesant is light you can actualy see, the rest is heat, Edison made the thing, its time it dies.

[Mike Barnes]

ransley :

Astounding! (not)

The UK equivalent of Consumers Report is "Which?" and you can read their reviews here:

[TheOldFellow]

Here is the US we dont share

Ah, the United States, paragon of energy efficiency. (Wistful sigh) R.

[Fredxx]

Anyone would forgive you for believing that Edison invented the lightbulb, since you're American. A chap called Joseph Swean got there first. Insular countries tend to believe it was one of their nationals who invented the light bulb. I forget the name of the equivalent Russian inventor?

[al]

> Think those compact fluorescent bulbs are not as bright as the old-style

The pack of Phillips bulbs Npower sent me says to compare them with Soft-tones. (don't know if this advice was always given and I just didn't read it properly, but it would be more accurate in my opinion) Regards Al

[sm_jamieson]

Mine from tesco said that, trouble is why compare them with something nobody every uses ? Because most people don't bother to read the small print. I believe soft-tone bulbs were those coloured ones, which are obviously less efficient. Simon.

[Andrew Gabriel]

That's what CFL's in this country have always been compared with. As virtually no one uses softone lamps, that's why most people have been very disappointed with their first experience. Feit is the only brand I've come across with honest power equivalency markings.

Otherwise, ignore the markings on the box, and use a ratio of 4:1 for replacing GLS, 3:1 for replacing large reflector lamps, and 2:1 for small reflector lamps.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Fredxx" saying something like:

Russian claims seem to centre around Yablochkov, although it was actually a carbon arc lamp in his case. The only originality was the self-regulating nature of the carbon gap, as carbon arc lamps had been around for a while.

The Russians claim everything, including the steam locomotive.

[mark]

USA It's something like:

4% of the worlds population producing 25% of the world's pollution

mark

[Jules]

"historians Robert Friedel and Paul Israel [3] list 22 inventors of incandescent lamps prior to Joseph Wilson Swan and Thomas Edison." (from wikipedia).

I can believe it, too - the person recognised as inventing something according to popular history is usually right at the end of a long line of folks (powered flight, radio and the steam loco are all fun ones to dig into!) who already have something that works - and even then a lot of recognised 'inventions' are often the bringing-together of several existing technologies or ideas (i.e. the recognised 'inventor' is little more than the adult equivalent of a kid playing with Lego)

Having spent time in several countries, I reckon they're all insular and over-protective when it comes to their technological history.

cheers

Jules

[tim....]

yes, but the politicians didn't need to get into the scam as well did they

tim

[Man at B&Q]

Heat is good for a large part of the time that incandescent bulbs are used in the UK.

MBQ

[Doctor Drivel]

Swan actually invented it.

[Doctor Drivel]

They do make a lot of the world's products. Nevertheless they still inefficient and the oil companies rule the government.

[A.Clews]

Thus spake Man at B&Q ( [e-mail]) unto the assembled multitudes:

I saw a fascinating show on the TV a couple of weeks ago where one of the presenters made an oven using one or two 100W incandescent bulbs, and roasted a chicken in it, using a fraction of the energy of a conventional oven. I was most impressed.

[Doctor Drivel]

>>>>> Think those compact fluorescent bulbs are not as bright as the old-style

Which is the best to use on a dimmer and has the best glow nearest to a normal bulb?