The end of the 60W bulb...

[142094]

The trouble is that not many people are aware that these have to be recycled if a recent survey is to be believed.

Some supermarkets now have a facility where shoppers can bring back used batteries for recycling....why can't they also offer a facility for shoppers to bring back new-style light bulbs for recycling. After all, they sell enough of both products and they could be seen as doing something to help their customers and the environment at the same time.

Plenty of good PR to be had in this for them.

All down to which LA it is. York is quite good and you can recycle various types of light bulbs at the amenity sites.

The amount of mercury in the bulbs is quite negligible, you'll probably get more in certain types of fish you eat. The advice when an energy-saving bulb has smashed is to air out the room for half an hour and sweep up wearing gloves.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You can be sure that 60W old-style bulbs will be available on market stalls and in small hardware shops for years to come.

 

[Madge Wildfire]

All down to which LA it is. York is quite good and you can recycle various types of light bulbs at the amenity sites.

The amount of mercury in the bulbs is quite negligible, you'll probably get more in certain types of fish you eat. The advice when an energy-saving bulb has smashed is to air out the room for half an hour and sweep up wearing gloves.

You will probably breathe in far more mercury vapour than you will get from eating fish, especially if you live down wind from a crematorium.

The mercury from the amalgam fillings in people's teeth vapourises when the body is incinerated and just think how many are burnt per day......

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Can someone with correct experiance give the industry position on pre-existing dimmer switches in properties and the useage of the new-style light bulbs, stating the exact postion and any dangers that will occur.

My wife, having seen the references to dimmer switches in this thread, went to the local John Lewis store and spoke to a manager in their lighting department. He was adamant that our two existing dimmer switches do not need replacing. We have enough of the old-style 100W bulbs to service those fittings covered by these switches for years to come, but all our other light bulbs are now the new-style types.

 

[sutty]

You will probably breathe in far more mercury vapour than you will get from eating fish, especially if you live down wind from a crematorium.

The mercury from the amalgam fillings in people's teeth vapourises when the body is incinerated and just think how many are burnt per day......

Quite right. Crematoriums are responsible for 16% of the UK's yearly output into the atmosphere of mercury due to fillings being burnt.

 

[Bungle73]

Can someone with correct experiance give the industry position on pre-existing dimmer switches in properties and the useage of the new-style light bulbs, stating the exact postion and any dangers that will occur.

My wife, having seen the references to dimmer switches in this thread, went to the local John Lewis store and spoke to a manager in their lighting department. He was adamant that our two existing dimmer switches do not need replacing. We have enough of the old-style 100W bulbs to service those fittings covered by these switches for years to come, but all our other light bulbs are now the new-style types.

Conventional low-engery light bulbs will not work with dimmer switches...well they will work, but they won't dim. You need to buy ones that specifically state that they are compatible with dimmer switches. Exactly how "compatible" these bulbs are (ie are there any disadvantages compared to incandescent bulbs) I couldn't say.

 

[AlterEgo]

I remember reading that someone is successfully importing the old filament-style bulbs as "portable heating sources", getting around the legislation.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Conventional low-engery light bulbs will not work with dimmer switches...well they will work, but they won't dim. You need to buy ones that specifically state that they are compatible with dimmer switches. Exactly how "compatible" these bulbs are (ie are there any disadvantages compared to incandescent bulbs) I couldn't say.

My wife thanks you for such a detailed answer and has taken on board what you have said.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Conventional low-engery light bulbs will not work with dimmer switches...well they will work, but they won't dim. You need to buy ones that specifically state that they are compatible with dimmer switches. Exactly how "compatible" these bulbs are (ie are there any disadvantages compared to incandescent bulbs) I couldn't say.

The best ones to use with dimmers are halogens. They work like conventional bulbs but use less power for the same amount of light.

 

[142094]

You will probably breathe in far more mercury vapour than you will get from eating fish, especially if you live down wind from a crematorium.

The mercury from the amalgam fillings in people's teeth vapourises when the body is incinerated and just think how many are burnt per day......

This should be greatly reduced as I'm sure there is some new legislation coming out (may already be out) which forces crematoria to fit a device in the chimneys to remove the mercury.

 

[junglejames]

Should save the homeowner quite a lot of money.
Not only do they use a lot less power, but they last a lot longer as well.
When I was at primary school i received 2 free energy efficient bulbs. The proper ones, not the massive 12 watt bulbs which just produce 12 watts worth of light.
At least 17yrs later, and it is still providing as much light as a normal bulb, on much less electricity. In that time the rest of the house has gone through countless normal bulbs. Most bulbs dont last much more than 1yr.

With regards to saving money how much does an energy saving bulb actually save in the real world.
Not in the quoted industry figures which are probably if you leave the bulb on 24 hours a day 7 days a week. But in real world usage.
Not a lot I would guess

 

[90019]

At least 17yrs later, and it is still providing as much light as a normal bulb, on much less electricity. In that time the rest of the house has gone through countless normal bulbs. Most bulbs dont last much more than 1yr.

We got a few of the normal energy saving bulbs last year.
I think there was one that lasted about 2 weeks, and the rest lasted a few days at most.

 

[thefab444]

The ones in our house tend to last for several years, compared to a couple of months, or a year at most depending on use, for standard incandescent bulbs.

 

[tom1649]

The trouble is that not many people are aware that these have to be recycled if a recent survey is to be believed.

Some supermarkets now have a facility where shoppers can bring back used batteries for recycling....why can't they also offer a facility for shoppers to bring back new-style light bulbs for recycling. After all, they sell enough of both products and they could be seen as doing something to help their customers and the environment at the same time.

Our local Sainsbury's car park does have the facility for recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs (although the actual recycling facilities are provided by the council).

 

[junglejames]

We got a few of the normal energy saving bulbs last year.
I think there was one that lasted about 2 weeks, and the rest lasted a few days at most.

Youve got either a bad batch, or a dodgy shop! Take them back. Energy savers are meant to last a lot longer.

 

[thefab444]

It could be down to the light fittings themselves, I'm no electrician but there was a fitting in our house that used to kill energy savers.

 

[90019]

Youve got either a bad batch, or a dodgy shop! Take them back. Energy savers are meant to last a lot longer.

They came from different shops, were a mix of brands, and were tried in different lights throughout the house. We've never had a problem with normal bulbs, but the normal energy saving ones were just sh*te. We mostly use Halogen ones now, with a few LEDs as well.

I had energy saving bulbs in my room at uni as well. They lasted fine, but were utter crap. They took an age to warm up and then didn't light the room particularly well.

 

[junglejames]

They came from different shops, were a mix of brands, and were tried in different lights throughout the house. We've never had a problem with normal bulbs, but the normal energy saving ones were just sh*te. We mostly use Halogen ones now, with a few LEDs as well.

I had energy saving bulbs in my room at uni as well. They lasted fine, but were utter crap. They took an age to warm up and then didn't light the room particularly well.

Unfortunately the standard of energy savers does vary.
Saying that, the same can be said for traditionals. For example ive never seen a good traditional from Tescos!

Get a good energy saver though (and the majority are good), then in my opinion they are brilliant.

 

[michael769]

I have been using them since the early days of the old Philips SL Prismatic range - humungous things they were.

The only real problem (other than the sheer size of the early ones) is that the manufacturers are a little optimistic about the equivalent ratings. a 11W CFL advertised as a 60w equivalent - sorry but not it's not!

Still that is something easily remedied - just get the next rating up.

These days I am a fan of the Megaman range - they were the first to produce candle bulbs truly the same size as the incandescent versions. Even today many CFL candle bulbs are still a bit bigger. Still I reckon by the time these wear out LED versions will be more widely available. Give it 20 years or so and they will be banning CFLs....

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've got one or two Philips SLs still operating after about 19 years!

Yes, they were very early ones, quite heavy - in those days that was about all that was available and you had to have the fittings re-inforced before you could use them!

 

[Trog]

The best ones to use with dimmers are halogens.

I thought you were not supposed to use halogen lamps with dimmers as the lamp filiment needs the heat of full power use to redeposit metal, and will not last long if under run?

 

[Zoe]

I'm not quite sure watt all the fuss is about.

 

[LE Greys]

Any preservationists here who might find it tricky to source period bulbs?

 

[Trog]

I'm not quite sure watt all the fuss is about.

Get your coat and go Ohm.

 

[Moodster020]

Wont be the end, all you do is get them from outside the EU via Ebay

 

[Zoe]

Wont be the end, all you do is get them from outside the EU via Ebay

Importing them into the EU is also illegal.

 

[talltim]

i find that CFLs are't suitable for most purposes in my house. They are most suitable for lights that are left on for long periods as they take a while to warm up and use most electricity when starting. However the rooms that fit this bill have dimmer switches. The light that is on longest is outside, and CFLs do not work well at a low temperatures and are less efficient than a normal bulb.
A ot of the time I go into a room, turn the light on, get whatever I needed and turn the light off again within a minute. Wth a CFL it takes longer as the bulb has to warm up.

 

[LE Greys]

I've discovered that most of the lights in my house which have dimmer switches only ever get used in two positions, maximum and off. In other words, we might as well take them out and replace them with standard switches, because they are used in exactly the same way.

 

[T163R]

Anyone fancying a lightbulb drop to inhale nice loads of mercury ?