Why Can't I Buy A 100 Watt Light Bulb?

[6538]

Just been trying to buy a perfectly ordinary, traditional, 100w pearl light bulb in Morrisons but couldn't find one anywhere. Was I just unlucky and hit on a day when they'd run out or is it some insidious greeny plot to make us buy the crappy, overpriced new energy efficient type which give off a horrible light and take f*ckin ages to get to full brightness?

Had to settle for 60-bloody-watt so the bedroom is somewhat gloomier now.

[three pint princess]

It's a voluntary ban, so you can still buy them over the internet.

[bagsos]

Pretty much all incandescant bulbs are being phased out across Europe starting september. You didn't vote for it, it wasn't in any manifesto, and it won't make a difference to anything, but our wonderful European Commission can stand up on the extremely thick carpets of the next place they have a climate conference and claim to be doing something.

[voidal]

Pretty much all incandescant bulbs are being phased out across Europe starting september. You didn't vote for it, it wasn't in any manifesto, and it won't make a difference to anything, but our wonderful European Commission can stand up on the extremely thick carpets of the next place they have a climate conference and claim to be doing something.

Agree. Some of the cheap low energy lightbulbs really are crap. Some are much better. There are some really ropey low energy lamps aboutnow.

I use higher quality daylight (6000K) low energy bulbs in all rooms and they produce a much better light than incandescent or low energy. Most people dont like the blue-white light until they get used to it.

Unfortuntaly the incandescent lightbulb has had its day. LED's are starting to get quite good now and are more efficient than even low energy lamps. They may yet replace low energy discharge lamps soon.

[eightiesgirly]

Pretty much all incandescant bulbs are being phased out across Europe starting september. You didn't vote for it, it wasn't in any manifesto, and it won't make a difference to anything, but our wonderful European Commission can stand up on the extremely thick carpets of the next place they have a climate conference and claim to be doing something.

.....after they've done flying there. In lovely fuel free climate friendly tree hugging planes.

[Prime Realist 8]

Most people dont like the blue-white light until they get used to it.

People get to like it? Those bulbs can give you skin cancer (high levels of bad UV) and they're full of highly toxic mercury. To call them 'green' is an absolute joke.

Those LED's just need to come down in price a little before I move on from incandescent.

[Habeas Domus]

I invested £100 on a stash of bulbs to see me out the next 10 years or so, I'd get more but I dont have the cupboard space.

In 2015 those once cheap incandescent bulbs will be a rare luxury item

[voidal]

People get to like it? Those bulbs can give you skin cancer (high levels of bad UV) and they're full of highly toxic mercury. To call them 'green' is an absolute joke.

Those LED's just need to come down in price a little before I move on from incandescent.

1. Daylight low energy = normal low energy. Different phosphor mix.

2.What bad UV? Are you saying they all kickout "huge" amounts of UV, and at what wavelength?

3. They are not "FULL" of toxic mercury, they would short circuit and therefore not be discharge lamps. There is a small amount vapourised within other gases at low pressure.

4.Calling them green is an absolute joke

....... Dunno, YOU provide the figures, I just save £50-100 a year on my electricity bill.

[Long Way Down]

People get to like it? Those bulbs can give you skin cancer (high levels of bad UV) and they're full of highly toxic mercury. To call them 'green' is an absolute joke.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Energy...asked-questions

Energy saving bulbs contain only tiny traces of mercury - imagine a pellet smaller than the tip of a biro. What's more, in the long term, CFL technology will actually help less mercury to pollute the air.

This is because burning fossil fuels like coal is the biggest source of mercury in the air. And as energy saving bulbs use 80% less electricity than a traditional bulb, they mean far less mercury overall.

[repetitive bleats]

I believe that the BNP have said that they would re-introduce the 100 Watt light bulb if there is a vote in it.

[voidal]

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Energy...asked-questions

Energy saving bulbs contain only tiny traces of mercury - imagine a pellet smaller than the tip of a biro. What's more, in the long term, CFL technology will actually help less mercury to pollute the air.

This is because burning fossil fuels like coal is the biggest source of mercury in the air. And as energy saving bulbs use 80% less electricity than a traditional bulb, they mean far less mercury overall.

Thank you for pointing that out 'Long Way Down'

I suspect the biggest environmental pollution of a CFL is

a) the semiconductors used in the driver circuitry (dopants, lithography etc etc)

PCB etching chemicals, laminator varnish for the transformers etc

...especially if sourced from cheaper companies with little regulation.

However, they save a LOT of electricty.

ps. BNP bringing back 100W lightbulbs. Doublethink or what.

What a vote winner, i'll retrofit them and watch my electricity bill skyrocket, then we can buy more gas from the 'foreigners'.

[Grime- skint wouldbe ftb]

EU ruling. Vote BNP or UKIP.

[three pint princess]

EU ruling. Vote BNP or UKIP.

voluntary ban

[voidal]

EU ruling. Vote BNP or UKIP.

Place the thought detonator, put it in a tabloid and voila

EU = Bad

ergo ...

BNP or UKIP = NO VOTES

[voidal]

Just been trying to buy a perfectly ordinary, traditional, 100w pearl light bulb in Morrisons but couldn't find one anywhere. Was I just unlucky and hit on a day when they'd run out or is it some insidious greeny plot to make us buy the crappy, overpriced new energy efficient type which give off a horrible light and take f*ckin ages to get to full brightness?

Had to settle for 60-bloody-watt so the bedroom is somewhat gloomier now.

Useless fact::

A 60W incandescent lighbulb does not give out 60% of the visible light of a 100W lightbulb. It is less bright than suggested.

Its all to do with voltage, filament thickness etc. Our 230V mains voltage is not ideal for incandescent lamps, they do not work well at such high voltages.

[oracle]

Thank you for pointing that out 'Long Way Down'

I suspect the biggest environmental pollution of a CFL is

a) the semiconductors used in the driver circuitry (dopants, lithography etc etc)

PCB etching chemicals, laminator varnish for the transformers etc

...especially if sourced from cheaper companies with little regulation.

However, they save a LOT of electricty.

ps. BNP bringing back 100W lightbulbs. Doublethink or what.

What a vote winner, i'll retrofit them and watch my electricity bill skyrocket, then we can buy more gas from the 'foreigners'.

it's not just that they contain mercury...the LED ones contain arsenic.

what seems to have quite a detrimental effect is the spectra of light these things emit.

[Jiji]

Try Robert Dyas.

We got ten a month ago...

[Guest X-QUORK]

Why stop at just the 100W bulbs, surely there must be something akin to a WWII search light you could have in your living room?

[voidal]

it's not just that they contain mercury...the LED ones contain arsenic.

what seems to have quite a detrimental effect is the spectra of light these things emit.

THE CRI (colour quality) of modern LED's are pretty good. Luxeon do one up at 95, better than pretty much all CFCs. Most are less good. Alteratively can use discrete colour mixing.

SPECTRA: The Luxeon rebel ones I use are fantastic, but some cheaper ones change colour and go bluer at higher currents (I use a PWM microcontroller as part of my energy management system, I run off solar power for half my lighting).

I only use CFC's for mains lighting.

Not sure which specifically contain arsenic. Theres a whole range of transition elements Ga, P, indium etc etc

I could find out i suppose, but they are supposed to last 20-30 years.

[TTD]

"Tiny amounts of mercury, huh?"

So when you break one, the govt advises us to;

Mop up the remains with a damp cloth (don't use a vacuum cleaner)

Bag up the remains and dispose of in a responsible fashion (whatever that means)

Ventilate the room and don't enter for 15-20 mins

.... which is fine if it gets broken whilst a responsible and aware adult is around. Just how do you ventilate an internal room, without contaminating the adjacent rooms?

I'm investing in a level 3 biohazard suit with respirator, just in case.

[voidal]

"Tiny amounts of mercury, huh?"

So when you break one, the govt advises us to;

Mop up the remains with a damp cloth (don't use a vacuum cleaner)

Bag up the remains and dispose of in a responsible fashion (whatever that means)

Ventilate the room and don't enter for 15-20 mins

.... which is fine if it gets broken whilst a responsible and aware adult is around. Just how do you ventilate an internal room, without contaminating the adjacent rooms?

I'm investing in a level 3 biohazard suit with respirator, just in case.

Compensation culture or real threat to health??

Maybe the vacuum cleaner is to stop spreading the phosphor and not the mercury? I wouldnt know what was in the phosphor, but it theres any Barium, its probably worse than the mercury.

Remember Fosters advert ? : crocodile ate the sharks

[eightiesgirly]

"Tiny amounts of mercury, huh?"

So when you break one, the govt advises us to;

Mop up the remains with a damp cloth (don't use a vacuum cleaner)

Bag up the remains and dispose of in a responsible fashion (whatever that means)

Ventilate the room and don't enter for 15-20 mins

.... which is fine if it gets broken whilst a responsible and aware adult is around. Just how do you ventilate an internal room, without contaminating the adjacent rooms?

I'm investing in a level 3 biohazard suit with respirator, just in case.

I didn't know any of that and have broken quite a few recently, no, not violence just clumsy. The shatter all over the place into teeny tiny shards of paper thin glass, I had to use the hoover or spend the next four years digging it out of the carpet with tweezers.

Am I going to die?

[voidal]

I didn't know any of that and have broken quite a few recently, no, not violence just clumsy. The shatter all over the place into teeny tiny shards of paper thin glass, I had to use the hoover or spend the next four years digging it out of the carpet with tweezers.

Am I going to die?

Horribly, ....

I started soldering using lead based solder 30 years ago.

As for dipping my hands in mercury, 3 litres of it, done that.

Vapourised countless electronic components whilst experimenting.

Whats done is done. Life is full of risk.

Just dont take risks if you know what they are, I didnt at the time.

Marie Curie was a heroine, she didnt know the risks, but advanced science.

[Guest มร หล&#3]

Just been trying to buy a perfectly ordinary, traditional, 100w pearl light bulb in Morrisons but couldn't find one anywhere. Was I just unlucky and hit on a day when they'd run out or is it some insidious greeny plot to make us buy the crappy, overpriced new energy efficient type which give off a horrible light and take f*ckin ages to get to full brightness?

Had to settle for 60-bloody-watt so the bedroom is somewhat gloomier now.

Try this place,

www.jerseylightbulbs.com

They do excellent daylight bulbs. Get a 30W one. I had one that was equivalent of 325W incandescent, it was like the Sun!

[Blue Warwick]

Just been trying to buy a perfectly ordinary, traditional, 100w pearl light bulb in Morrisons but couldn't find one anywhere. Was I just unlucky and hit on a day when they'd run out or is it some insidious greeny plot to make us buy the crappy, overpriced new energy efficient type which give off a horrible light and take f*ckin ages to get to full brightness?

Had to settle for 60-bloody-watt so the bedroom is somewhat gloomier now.

I think that you could be a victim of the move to low energy bulbs, which were backed by the green EU.

I personally think that it was a sponsored piece of legislation - sponsored by Specsavers - as the dull glow does nothing for my eyesight.

You might be best served by trying to find a local hardware shop, buy all their old fashioned bulbs, stockpile them and in a few years if they have not made it a capital offence sell them for a great profit. It seems a safer and potentially more lucrative idea than saving or buying property.

Good luck.