More Govt Waste - Eco-lightbulbs Sent To People Who Don't Want Them

[Si1]

socilaist numptiism - 'we know what you need, you don't, here's some money back that we took from you in the first place, do as we say.... whoops'

still it creates jobs for public sector contaminated land processing of mercury pollution:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/57...t-use-them.html

Low energy lightbulbs mailed to British families that cannot use them

Hundreds of millions of old-fashioned low energy lightbulbs have been mailed to British families that often cannot use them, official documents show.

By Geoffrey Lean

Published: 8:05PM BST 10 Jul 2009The Department of Energy and Climate Change admits that it is "concerned" at the mailings – described yesterday by campaigners as a waste – and has agreed to ban them.

But it has decided not so do so for another six months to allow even more of the bulbs to be sent out - even though every home in the country has already, on average, received at least eight of them.

Experts believe that vast numbers of the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulb are stored away, never to be used, and thrown out to end up in landfill, where they pose a potential pollution problem.Light manufacturers retailers are worried that potential customers will be discouraged from buying their products.

The bulbs have been distributed by gas and electricity companies as a cheap way of meeting a Government obligation to help their customers save energy, under an official scheme called the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target.

The idea was that the companies would subsidize households - especially "low-income, vulnerable or elderly" ones – to save energy by measures like installing loft and cavity wall insulation.

But the Department admits that about a third of the companies efforts have instead bought up and sent out the cheap bulbs, in the hope that householders might use them.

But it adds that these have overwhelmingly been the most old fashioned and ugly "stick-type" CFLs, hated by many people, and that they have often had screw fittings that cannot be used in the bayonet sockets found in most British homes.

It reports that "around 200 million" of the "unsolicited" bulbs have so far been sent out under the scheme.

It says "we are concerned that the number of bulbs already directly distributed in CERT has been so high – reaching an average of 8 per household."

It adds: "We also understand that some households have received more than an average number."

Indeed this is only part of the problem, for official figures show that over 140 million of the CFLs have been sent out in the same way under previous schemes.

Surveys suggested that more than a fifth of customers had not installed any of these, and that two thirds were "storing at least some" of them. No similar monitoring has yet been completed on the existing scheme.

Last night Andrew Warren, Executive Director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, told the Daily Telegraph: "This is becoming a wasteful boondoggle [waste of time and money].

"Hundreds of millions of ugly, low quality bulbs have been sent out to families who have neither asked for them, nor can use them. No proper checks have been carried out on whether they have been installed and the likelihood must be that vast numbers.

The Department has undertaken to stop the mailings from the New Year but has refused to do so immediately because this would "unfairly penalise" companies who had not yet taken advantage of the scheme.

Edited July 13, 2009 by Si1

[interestrateripoff]

Wrong what we need now is for teams of workers to recovery the bulbs from land fill.

You see this is creating work and jobs and costs more money.

This is indeed a good plan.

[non frog]

So its the energy companies who bought and supplied the wrong bulbs and this, somehow is the fault of the government? "Socialist numptism"? Seems more like the energy companies scamming taxpayer money to me.

I don't much like Brown and the other clowns in charge but as long as we have hordes of halfwits and bigoted media types scapegoating them all the problems will continue.

[dr ray]

Bizzarely, we don't have these provided at work (in an NHS hospital) so I took mine into work and used them there (mainly because we don't have windows or aircon either and it gets unbearably hot so every little helps)

It is probably a sackable offence so I haven't told anyone.

[interestrateripoff]

Bizzarely, we don't have these provided at work (in an NHS hospital) so I took mine into work and used them there (mainly because we don't have windows or aircon either and it gets unbearably hot so every little helps)

It is probably a sackable offence so I haven't told anyone.

Just imagine the paperwork if one of these bulbs explodes.

[domo]

I got 8 sent to my studio flat, put one in the kitchen, they don't work fast enough to be used anywhere else, and they don't fit the screw sockets in the main room.

Still, so long as government planning targets are met.

[Timak]

I got 8 sent to my studio flat, put one in the kitchen, they don't work fast enough to be used anywhere else, and they don't fit the screw sockets in the main room.

Still, so long as government planning targets are met.

I have them in every room, apart from the kitchen, and have done for years. They give useable light instantly and are up to full brightness after about a minute. I have to change the bulbs in the kitchen every 6 months or so but have never changed any of my eco bulbs in the 3 years plus I've had them.

[tim123]

"But it has decided not so do so for another six months to allow even more of the bulbs to be sent out - even though every home in the country has already, on average, received at least eight of them."

Someone got sent mine then. I've have never even been sent one.

(and I'm in the set of people who would use them)

tim

[Olebrum]

Shame on the wasteful pigs who threw them in the rubbish.

[Scunnered]

Someone got sent mine then. I've have never even been sent one.

Nor me. Is this supposed to be happening over the whole of the UK, or just England (or England & Wales)?

Edited July 13, 2009 by Scunnered

[Long Way Down]

"It adds: "We also understand that some households have received more than an average number.""

And amazingly, some have received less than an average number.

Do these idiots think before they make a statement?

[Si1]

Someone got sent mine then. I've have never even been sent one.

(and I'm in the set of people who would use them)

tim

your electricity company sends you a form you fill in and you do pay a bit, but cheaper than at supermarket (well that was my experience) - subsidised by electric company, so they can gain from govt incentives

Edited July 13, 2009 by Si1

[Long Way Down]

your electricity company sends you a form you fill in and you do pay a bit but much cheaper than at supermarket - subsidised by electric company, so they can gain from govt incentives

How are they "unsolicited" if you fill in a form and pay for them?

[Si1]

How are they "unsolicited" if you fill in a form and pay for them?

I took that from the newspaper article to imply that the companies are now reaching govt targets by sending them out for free, so maybe I should not have paid and waited instead.

Edited July 13, 2009 by Si1

[uptherebels]

Not had any here either. If I had recieved any, then I would give them a go. Mind you, never had the swine flu leaflet either.

[Bloo Loo]

Ive had two, the smallest wattage and useless in the main rooms.

had them all installed anyway, and swapped over the bulbs from my old rental to me new one.

[Si1]

Not had any here either. If I had recieved any, then I would give them a go. Mind you, never had the swine flu leaflet either.

frankly, it does in all honesty sound like there's little evidence here to back up the claim of so many being sent out 'unsolicited'...

[uptherebels]

frankly, it does in all honesty sound like there's little evidence here to back up the claim of so many being sent out 'unsolicited'...

I do remember my father getting sent some every year, but I thought that was something to do with being a pensioner.

[tim123]

Not had any here either. If I had recieved any, then I would give them a go. Mind you, never had the swine flu leaflet either.

Come to think of it, I didn't get that either.

I did however get four(4!) letters from the Environment Agency telling me that I was in a high flood risk area

tim

[Si1]

I do remember my father getting sent some every year, but I thought that was something to do with being a pensioner.

aha...

[AteMoose]

I haven't received any, which is odd as it is a biggish house/higher council tax band. I had to fork out to change them all to energy saving bulbs!

[Matt Bear]

So its the energy companies who bought and supplied the wrong bulbs and this, somehow is the fault of the government? "Socialist numptism"? Seems more like the energy companies scamming taxpayer money to me.

I don't much like Brown and the other clowns in charge but as long as we have hordes of halfwits and bigoted media types scapegoating them all the problems will continue.

Government set the rules and the energy companies have exploited them. The rules should have been more thought out.

I've received half a dozen of these completely free and unsolicited. My Nan has received probably more like a dozen. She also received a shower water saver attachment (but that wasn't for electric showers though that fact was buried in some small print somewhere). They tend to be the less powerful ones but they are bayonet fittings although the missus now insists on light fitting from IKEA which have screw fittings. So I've got at least four of these stored away somewhere.

[ChumpusRex]

It's an example of poorly thought out government planning.

If the energy companies are milking the system by sending out a dozen cheap light bulbs to a customer rather than the intention of installing structural material (e.g. insulation) or replacing an inefficient boiler - then it indicates a problem with the rules. Governments should know by now, that any loophole will tend to get exploited, and therefore some semblance of effort should be made to write regulations clearly.

Still, the government's attempts to promote energy efficiency don't have a great track record.

My grandmother recently moved into a modern flat. It turns out that NuLabour have slipped in a new law regarding energy efficiency - in any new or substantially refurbished property, each room must have a light fitting that cannot accept a conventional bulb. The solution has been a whole bunch of fitting manufacturers creating their own custom fittings. Imagine the surprise when she moved in and found that the bulbs she had just bought didn't fit. So, I go down to all the local DIY shops in search of a suitable bulb, only to be confronted by blank looks. In the end, I find the manufacturer on google and they would be willing to sell me some bulbs (they are the sole retailer as well as manufacturer) for the price of £24.99 each.

I decided that at that price they could f-off. So back to B&Q I go and returned with a sack full of shiny new light fittings. The shiny, unused, old fittings then get unceremoniously ripped out and thrown in the bin - where presumbably they are now rotting in a landfill site somewhere.

[Si1]

It's an example of poorly thought out government planning.

If the energy companies are milking the system by sending out a dozen cheap light bulbs to a customer rather than the intention of installing structural material (e.g. insulation) or replacing an inefficient boiler - then it indicates a problem with the rules. Governments should know by now, that any loophole will tend to get exploited, and therefore some semblance of effort should be made to write regulations clearly.

Still, the government's attempts to promote energy efficiency don't have a great track record.

My grandmother recently moved into a modern flat. It turns out that NuLabour have slipped in a new law regarding energy efficiency - in any new or substantially refurbished property, each room must have a light fitting that cannot accept a conventional bulb. The solution has been a whole bunch of fitting manufacturers creating their own custom fittings. Imagine the surprise when she moved in and found that the bulbs she had just bought didn't fit. So, I go down to all the local DIY shops in search of a suitable bulb, only to be confronted by blank looks. In the end, I find the manufacturer on google and they would be willing to sell me some bulbs (they are the sole retailer as well as manufacturer) for the price of £24.99 each.

I decided that at that price they could f-off. So back to B&Q I go and returned with a sack full of shiny new light fittings. The shiny, unused, old fittings then get unceremoniously ripped out and thrown in the bin - where presumbably they are now rotting in a landfill site somewhere.

it sounds spectacularly environmentally unfriendly!

[Laura]

Bretheren, these are just teething problems.

Keep the faith with the great leader & remember Britain will soon be a beacon of light to the rest of the world