Energy Bulbs,a boon or a curse?

Low-energy bulb disposal warning

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7172662.stm

Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7167860.stm

Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7170246.stm

I'm wondering why all this has arrived in the news at this particular point in time.

no doubt because of this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7016020.stm

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

Low-energy bulb disposal warning

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7172662.stm

Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7167860.stm

Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7170246.stm

I'm wondering why all this has arrived in the news at this particular point in time.

Because conventional bulb manufacturers have activated their PR battalions...

[fireman328]

It was a slow news day ?

I've got a few timer light switches which won't work with energy saver bulbs, and most dimmers won't work either.
I'm all for saving money and the enviroment though so I've got the majority of the house using them. I've had quite a few which haven't lasted even a year. Some take a while to warm up as well and start off too dim.

personally I think I would be happier pursuing this technology

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/7162606.stm

The issues regarding fluorescent lamps have always been there, the new ones just incorporate all the components in a neater package, with some nifty glass-work.

However, I'm not sure if the overall ecological balance is favourable - as a consumer lower energy bills & longer life for products is good - as a citizen the manufacturing & eventual disposal of such items may be less so???

[Chicken]

I read somewhere that because low-energy lights give off less heat, the heating in your house runs slightly longer to compensate for that, and as a result almost completely negates any energy saving you think your making.

Anyway, as homealone has said, once manufacturing & disposal has been added into the equation, I'd be surprised if there's anything like as much of a saving of energy as seems to be made out... and trying to find out the energy used in manufacturing them is like trying to find rocking horse do-do in a proverbial stack of needles.

[greencreeper]

What makes me giggle. They last years. So you have a house full of ancient bulbs, which by the time they warm up, you're switching the light off again. Also causes domestics as men **** all over the bathroom floor. So you rush out and buy a whole new set - and put the old ones in a landfill site. And no doubt you'll have to do the same again in a few years when something even better comes along. It's like all energy saving - just shifts the energy consumption/planet damage somewhere else. And it's not as if any of us will be here when the planet's chuffed.

It seems to me that whatever we decide to do to reduce our carbon footprint someone will point out why it's not ecologically sound for the planet and us...We are just doomed as a species.

After all who would think that sending North Sea Prawns by boat to be hand shucked in Thailand and then sailed back to the UK would be a better way of being more carbon neutral?

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

After all who would think that sending North Sea Prawns by boat to be hand shucked in Thailand and then sailed back to the UK would be a better way of being more carbon neutral?

It's not just a matter of being carbon neutral Coggy. There's a lot more to that story than the BBC covered. One such thing being the recent discovery that the pressurised water shelling of said prawns, until very recently the preferred method of 90+% of UK seafood processors, creates aerosolized particulate carcinogens.

Ship your prawns to the other side of the world to be shelled by hand and - Hey presto! no claims.

Originally Posted by Incognitas

It seems to me that whatever we decide to do to reduce our carbon footprint someone will point out why it's not ecologically sound for the planet and us...We are just doomed as a species.

After all who would think that sending North Sea Prawns by boat to be hand shucked in Thailand and then sailed back to the UK would be a better way of being more carbon neutral?

They don't claim the 'prawns' are sent to Thailand because it is carbon neutral, but do claim it might not be as bad as you might think to do so....

When the extra quality from hand peeled is factored into the equation along with low labour costs the scenario makes some kind of sense???

Sorry light bulbs

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

What makes me giggle. They last years. So you have a house full of ancient bulbs, which by the time they warm up, you're switching the light off again. Also causes domestics as men **** all over the bathroom floor. So you rush out and buy a whole new set - and put the old ones in a landfill site. And no doubt you'll have to do the same again in a few years when something even better comes along. It's like all energy saving - just shifts the energy consumption/planet damage somewhere else. And it's not as if any of us will be here when the planet's chuffed.

we can have mountains of light bulbs, allong side the mountains of fridges and freezers, and those lovely maintenance free car batteries.

[BBKing]

I read somewhere that because low-energy lights give off less heat, the heating in your house runs slightly longer to compensate for that, and as a result almost completely negates any energy saving you think your making.

True in the winter, not true in the summer, when you wouldn't have the heating on anyway (you do have double glazing and loft insulation, I hope?). It's more efficient to heat using, er, a heating system, anyway, since it heats from the floor up rather than the ceiling down.

It's not just 'hey I've got low-energy lightbulbs', of course - other energy saving matters, like replacing your computer with a newer one with better energy characteristics - laptops are better than desktops here.

I think we've got one or two tungsten bulbs left, the rest have been replaced by LE ones over the last year or so as they've gone bang. No mass-replacement or landfill use beyond what would happen anyway. None of the LE ones have broken or been dropped - some are better than others, so the dodgy ones get relegated places where they're not needed so often, like the downstairs bog (which, being a non-double glazed ex-outside-lav, isn't the most congenial place after dark anyway). There's one fitting that's too tight for the current generation of bulbs, so we have to keep a store of tungstens for it, which is annoying. When I find a small enough LE I'll replace it.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by BBKing

There's one fitting that's too tight for the current generation of bulbs, so we have to keep a store of tungstens for it, which is annoying. When I find a small enough LE I'll replace it.

I managed to find a LE (Philips Genie 11w) bulb to replace the candle type which my bankers lamp requires. It's surprisingly small (11.5cm x 4.5cm approx.) and works very well indeed.

[Angua]

You can even get spot type LE bulbs now as well as Halogen replacements
The Green Shop You can probably get cheaper elsewhere, but they do show the range of LE bulbs available now.