Heads up on Tesco value energy saving light bulbs

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BTDTWTTS but it doesn't do much good. I wrote to my MP expressing my concern about the enforced phasing out of incandescent bulbs, pointing out the deficiencies of CFLs and their total unsuitability for some applications such as PIR controlled lighting with only intermittent use. For most issues the only thing the MPs can do is to forward the matter to the appropriate minister. In due course I received a reply from the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Waste, it was largely bureauwaffle effectively saying "that's what's happening so tough".

Reply to
Mike Clarke
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Yes, your experience is exactly what I would expect. The thing is, as John says, just what *can* you do? If raising these matters with someone who is supposed to be your elected representative does no good, then what other course of action does that leave open ? About the only other tactic that I can think of, is to try to get one of the 'lobbyist' newspapers such as the Mail on Sunday involved. They have had a fair amount of success bringing MPs and ministers to book over other issues. I just wish that more people understood the wider implications of legislation such as this, before just blindly accepting that it must be good for the planet because these clowns and their european compadres say so ...

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

Yes, but how can I replace the incandescent bulb in my outside courtesy lamp, which runs on 1/4 power normally, and comes on full power when approached ?

Reply to
Jethro

This may turn out to be a case where the market will decide. After all, if there is enough demand, then there will be people willing to supply. This will start with people stockpiling, then presumably a roaring trade on eBay for a while. Big increase in sales of the special purpose bulbs that can be sold. There may even be an "official" route back into the market for a keen niche manufacturer - say with the "halogen capsule inside a bulb" type of thing - they can already do better efficiency that conventional GLS bulbs. With a bit of slight of hand in the specification (i.e. clear bulbs with "approx" 30W consumption - but when measured at say 220V - might actually do a reasonable job in the real world)

Reply to
John Rumm

That much? My local Tesco - in Lockerbie - has loads of Philips ones on the shelf next to the Value ones, marked down to 10p each. Still more than I'd pay for the bloody things, mind you.

Ian

Reply to
The Real Doctor

Well thanks for the theory but please don't try to tell me what I can see with my own eyes. At the moment I have two normal 60w bulbs in one chandelier in the lounge and two of the new 15W in the other. The 15W bulbs are noticeably brighter. Experimenting with the desk lamp I'd say a 100W bulb does put out more lumens in total than the 15W but it spreads the light over a wider area due to the shape of the bulb. The 15W bulb being very slim doesn't send so much light downwards if the bulb is base down or upwards if the bulb is in a chandelier. So where you actually want the light it seems to be about the same brightness. In summary I'd say the claim on the packaging that they're about the same rating as a normal 75W bulb is spot on.

To answer someone else I don't have any problem reading by them but the light is a very bright white, somewhat glaring compared to the incandecent bulbs. Ideally they need a shade over them to just take the edge off it and in the current chandelier they just stick 1/4" out at the bottom which isn't ideal. It's actually quite hard to look at the naked bulbs they're so bright.

Reply to
Dave Baker

Different light spread pattern. Little light up or down. Totally different colour. Hard light to look at, and "glaring". Too long for the fitting.

So all in all, basically not very suitable on just about every practical level, for what you're trying to use them for ... :-\

I tried some in a Tiffany-style table lamp that I have in my lounge. The bulbs (two of them) sit horizontally inside the shade. The light pattern was so poor, and the spectral content so lacking, that this otherwise beautifully multicoloured lamp, looked like someone had chucked a bucket of mud over it. Back in went the tungstens. I resent politicians trying to make me shoehorn this technology into my life in a 'near-enough fit' sort of way. If they really must push these hateful lamps, whilst encouraging the population in general to become greener (ye gods I hate that word now) then they should do it by taxing tungstens so that we still have the choice where we consider it appropriate, rather than introducing an all out ban.

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

Use one piece of legislation to overcome another.

Not quite in the same category, but it's rather like what happened in the heavy snow of last week - the LAs were running out of salt to grit the roads, and yet the only factory producing it was shut down for a H&S inspection.

Who was calling the shots to say that more lives were at risk from unsalted roads that were at risk in the salt mine? No-one.

You couldn't make it up. Welcome to Broken Britain.

Reply to
Terry Fields

We have single 18w CFLs in most of the rooms and hall/stairs. No problems mostly except in the kitchen which is a bit colder and takes longer to acheive full brightness. A couple of minutes is all it takes at most and doesn't apply in warmer weather anyway. Living room we have a double lighting socket with a big shade around it and two 18w lamps in it. More than adequate for anything. Like you say they are too bright to look directly at but the shade filters the harshness.

Reply to
Alang

You need your eyes tested. Do it now, and for goodness' sake don't drive to the opticians, because with your appalling eyesight you will be a menace to every other road user.

Reply to
Bruce

Has in not occurred to you that when looking at a light source with discontinuous spectra, a persons perception of the brightness may noticeably different from someone else's?

Reply to
John Rumm

Mine may very well be different from other people's given that I'm red/green colour blind.

Reply to
Dave Baker

Interesting point actually... Most CFLs have big holes[1] in the red end of their light output, but you may obviously not see any difference. (does red/green colour blindness result from the failure of (for example) the output of the red sensitive cones, or is it more a "wiring issue" in that the output is present, but the brain for some reason can't separate it from the green?

[1] In fact not only the red:

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Reply to
John Rumm

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Reply to
Dave Baker

The world is full of idiots who will argue that black is white.

Reply to
Bruce

Quite a few years ago we fell over a site which allows simulation of colour blindness using your own pictures. As my partner's (now adult) son is CB we spent ages trying to understand - but like all things, mostly now forgotten!

And different things here:

Reply to
Rod

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

Every word.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

I find eco bulbs have a horrible glow. Do these give light like normal bulbs?

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

You have been reading the Daily Mail.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

They use the correct solder and do it properly.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

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