More Bulb Stockpiling Ahoy!

[Frank Hovis]

More eco-scamming revealed. I'll need to buy a second shed as the first one is full of the old style bulbs, the ones that actually work when you turn them on and don't need to warm up like a valve radio.

Eco-bulb cost to treble: Makers cash in as the ban on old-style bulbs kicks in

By David Derbyshire

Last updated at 9:05 AM on 3rd January 2011

The price of energy-saving light bulbs will treble as the final supplies of traditional bulbs dry up, industry experts have warned.

The Government has ordered energy companies to scrap the subsidies that have kept the price of eco-bulbs artificially low for the last few years.

At the same time, manufacturers are increasing wholesale prices to take advantage of the European ban on ‘energy guzzling’ old-style bulbs.

Retailers also claim bulbs that currently cost only 33p are expected to sell for more than £1 within three months. Some will cost £3 or more.

The move comes as Britain is gearing up to phase out the last incandescent light bulbs in an effort to meet climate change targets.

The EU has already banned shops from buying stocks of 100watt bulbs and stopped them stocking up on any type of frosted incandescent bulbs.

From September it will prevent retailers buying in 60watt bulbs. By 2012 all incandescent bulbs will be banned – forcing shoppers to buy low-energy alternatives for almost all the light fittings in their homes.

Supermarkets and big DIY chains have already stopped selling bulbs above 40watts under a scheme backed by the Government.

James Shortridge, managing director of the independent lighting chain Ryness, said the cost of eco-bulbs would soar in the New Year.

‘Prices will easily rise threefold – if not more,’ he said.

‘Manufacturers put up prices two years ago when the first ban came in and clearly will do the same again. It’s the perfect storm for them.

‘Wholesale prices are already creeping up and when the subsidy ends those big supermarkets will have to increase their prices substantially or run a loss.’

The quality of eco-bulbs has improved in the last two years but critics complain that their light is harsh and flickery.

Medical charities say they can trigger epileptic fits, migraines and skin rashes and have called for an ‘opt out’ for vulnerable people.

Under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, big energy suppliers subsidised eco-bulbs. But from March companies will be forced to spend the money on helping consumers improve loft and wall insulation.

Eco-bulbs were at the centre of a health scare in December when a German study showed broken lamps release potentially harmful levels of mercury.

However the UK Health Protection Agency said the bulbs contained too little mercury to be a hazard.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343554/Eco-bulb-cost-treble-Makers-cash-ban-old-style-bulbs-kicks-in.html

[urban_hymn]

More eco-scamming revealed. I'll need to buy a second shed as the first one is full of the old style bulbs, the ones that actually work when you turn them on and don't need to warm up like a valve radio.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343554/Eco-bulb-cost-treble-Makers-cash-ban-old-style-bulbs-kicks-in.html

Me too - have enough 100 watt pearls to last me the rest of my life. Mind you, the LED type are a good substitute but very expensive still.

[Tiger Woods?]

More eco-scamming revealed. I'll need to buy a second shed as the first one is full of the old style bulbs, the ones that actually work when you turn them on and don't need to warm up like a valve radio.

As I have said on this forum before, the current models used by the UK to model the energy saving effect of replacing old style bulbs by the newer more energy efficient types assume that 86% of the "saved energy" is not actually saved as extra heating household heating is required to replace the heat not produced by the "inefficient" bulbs.

It is a scam, or at least the benefits are marginal, i.e. going from a 100w old style bulb to a 20w mercury laden equivalent saves about 10w, and not 80w as one might assume at first glance.

[R K]

Litmus test for Dave. This is right up his street.

Is he in favour of individual choice or Big Govt. Diktat?

I won't hold my breath.........(unless I break one of these mercury filled killer bulbs)

[Bloo Loo]

why a ban?

surely the energy savings would make the new type worthwhile.

trouble is, I never saw a reduced bill when all I did was swap ALL the bulbs in my house to energy saving.

[matroskin]

Retailers also claim bulbs that currently cost only 33p are expected to sell for more than £1 within three months. Some will cost £3 or more.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343554/Eco-bulb-cost-treble-Makers-cash-ban-old-style-bulbs-kicks-in.html

Mind you, this is original RRP for eco-bulbs in 2001 and shops were doing "2 for £5" deals on these eco-bulbs back then.

But in 2001 the eco-bulbs also came with 6 years or so replacement warranty - I actually claimed on one Osram eco-bulb which failed shortly after purchase and got a new one.

[SarahBell]

As I have said on this forum before, the current models used by the UK to model the energy saving effect of replacing old style bulbs by the newer more energy efficient types assume that 86% of the "saved energy" is not actually saved as extra heating household heating is required to replace the heat not produced by the "inefficient" bulbs.

But look on the bright side. When it's warm you need less effort to cool your house...

[voidal]

why a ban?

surely the energy savings would make the new type worthwhile.

trouble is, I never saw a reduced bill when all I did was swap ALL the bulbs in my house to energy saving.

When i moved in 8 years ago, my incandescent lighting was 'using' about 1KW!

Purchased some QUALITY daylight low energy bulbs. Proper white light (rather than that ghastly yellow from filament bulbs). Big saving on my electricity bill and better light quality.

Everyone to their own, I personally cannot stand the light from incandescent bulbs and cheap 'warm colour' energy saving bulbs are even worse.

Edited January 3, 2011 by voidal

[Ruffneck]

So they think the mercury from one bulb is irrelevant but what about 30 million of them decaying in a landfill leeching mercury into the water?

Ban the mercury bulbs and replace them with LEDS , the CFL technology is a dud.

[corevalue]

So they think the mercury from one bulb is irrelevant but what about 30 million of them decaying in a landfill leeching mercury into the water?

Ban the mercury bulbs and replace them with LEDS , the CFL technology is a dud.

But, but, the big established makers of lamps don't have the patents for decent LED technology! You'll ruin their cashflow.

[Eddie_George]

Oh.... I thought you meant tulip bulbs....

[Peter Hun]

But, but, the big established makers of lamps don't have the patents for decent LED technology! You'll ruin their cashflow.

So how come didn't the multinationals stop the transition to CFL's? GE is another company that has had to close its factory. Funny how you paranoia only works to suit you.

I can't see why anyone should be concerned about paying £3 for an incandescent lamp, by definition you could not care about the cost or waste of money.

Ban the mercury bulbs and replace them with LEDS , the CFL technology is a dud.

The mercury content saved from release from the burning of coal far exceeds the amount in CFL's.

I wouldn't worry about it much, by the time my CFL's expire LED's will be cheap and good enough to replace them. LED's are fundamentally cheap and easy device to manufacture.

Edited January 3, 2011 by Peter Hun

[Live Peasant]

The LED domestic bulbs are the future. Optogan recently moved from its incubator in Germany to a production facility and has signed to produce lighting for St Petersburg. The costs will reduce signigficantly over the next 3 years. No mercury etc.

MANHASSET, NY -- Optogan, a supplier of high brightness LEDs, has opened a new manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, Russia with a production line capable of an annual capacity of 360 million LEDs.

[Kurt Barlow]

As I have said on this forum before, the current models used by the UK to model the energy saving effect of replacing old style bulbs by the newer more energy efficient types assume that 86% of the "saved energy" is not actually saved as extra heating household heating is required to replace the heat not produced by the "inefficient" bulbs.

It is a scam, or at least the benefits are marginal, i.e. going from a 100w old style bulb to a 20w mercury laden equivalent saves about 10w, and not 80w as one might assume at first glance.

Except electricity is 12-13p a peak unit and gas 3-4p a unit. I know which I'd use for heating When I have my CFL lights on in June I'll bear in mind the loss of heat available compared to an incandescent

In terms of mercury if you don't break em (and they are pretty hard to break) no mercury is released.

[Kurt Barlow]

So they think the mercury from one bulb is irrelevant but what about 30 million of them decaying in a landfill leeching mercury into the water?

Ban the mercury bulbs and replace them with LEDS , the CFL technology is a dud.

Hopefully LED's will replace CFL's however I would take the view that CFL's are an improvement over incandescents.

In terms of Mercury;

The bulbs are easily recycled - go to any civic amenity site

If placed in a landfill the lining and capping of the landfill will prevent the escape of any mercury

Assuming the energy saved is less coal or oil burned then the bulbs save far more in tems of mercury emissions than they contain.

Mercury from CFL's is only a problem in Daily Wail / Telegraph world.

[corevalue]

So how come didn't the multinationals stop the transition to CFL's? GE is another company that has had to close its factory. Funny how you paranoia only works to suit you.

I can't see why anyone should be concerned about paying £3 for an incandescent lamp, by definition you could not care about the cost or waste of money.

The mercury content saved from release from the burning of coal far exceeds the amount in CFL's.

I wouldn't worry about it much, by the time my CFL's expire LED's will be cheap and good enough to replace them. LED's are fundamentally cheap and easy device to manufacture.

The decent LED patents are owned by a few small independents, Cree, Nichia, Seoul Semiconductor. The multinationals are the ones making the CFLs, GE probably closed their (incandescent bulb) factory because CFL are an entirely different technology, which they produce in a different plant. If you look carefully at the lumens/Watt figures for LEDs, you'll see that Cree product is about twice as efficient as Philips/GE/Osram product.

No paranoia required.

[Kurt Barlow]

Litmus test for Dave. This is right up his street.

Is he in favour of individual choice or Big Govt. Diktat?

I won't hold my breath.........(unless I break one of these mercury filled killer bulbs)

How much tuna do you typically eat each month?

[longtomsilver]

Except electricity is 12-13p a peak unit and gas 3-4p a unit. I know which I'd use for heating When I have my CFL lights on in June I'll bear in mind the loss of heat available compared to an incandescent

In terms of mercury if you don't break em (and they are pretty hard to break) no mercury is released.

Electricity prices have been more constrained over the last five years and the same can't be said for gas prices.

Do you look at the running costs of your car by the same measure. Just fuel in ?

Or do you consider other things like

Servicing/preventative maintenance :

?it costs

Maintenance:

My boiler has broken down three times this year. Six weeks ago it required a new motor and oil pump. It broke again on Christmas Day and the patch repair made two days ago by the heating engineer failed today and acrid black smoke is spewing out (or was until I switched it off) it was the kind that has eaten the metal grid of the flue, evil acid rain causing kind. I suspect that we will go back to plan b and just replace the boiler which is £2k on top of the £800 spent so far.

Replacement: See above. Without the failure they need to be replaced every so often just like a car when the maintenance is no longer viable (about ten years).

If your boiler is working harder because the lightbulbs are no longer taking some of the load off the boiler then all the above will need doing alot sooner.

I don't see incandescant light bulbs as 90% inefficient light emitters but 90% efficient heaters. The glass is half full in my household and the lights are on in every room without the boiler and we are warm. If a bulb pops it won't need an expensive part just replacing.

[corevalue]

Rebel me, I've got a few 200 Watt (yes, TWO HUNDRED) incandescent bulbs stashed away. Gives me a comfortable feeling that I'll be able to use them as room heaters if my boiler fails....

[Kurt Barlow]

Electricity prices have been more constrained over the last five years and the same can't be said for gas prices.

Do you look at the running costs of your car by the same measure. Just fuel in ?

Or do you consider other things like

Servicing/preventative maintenance :

?it costs

Maintenance:

My boiler has broken down three times this year. Six weeks ago it required a new motor and oil pump. It broke again on Christmas Day and the patch repair made two days ago by the heating engineer failed today and acrid black smoke is spewing out (or was until I switched it off) it was the kind that has eaten the metal grid of the flue, evil acid rain causing kind. I suspect that we will go back to plan b and just replace the boiler which is £2k on top of the £800 spent so far.

Replacement: See above. Without the failure they need to be replaced every so often just like a car when the maintenance is no longer viable (about ten years).

If your boiler is working harder because the lightbulbs are no longer taking some of the load off the boiler then all the above will need doing alot sooner.

I don't see incandescant light bulbs as 90% inefficient light emitters but 90% efficient heaters. The glass is half full in my household and the lights are on in every room without the boiler and we are warm. If a bulb pops it won't need an expensive part just replacing.

You will probably find your boiler will last longer if it isn't short cycling all the time (which will explain short pump life). I would advise replacing all incandescents with CFLs making the boiler work for longer continous periods. This will do wonders for its longevity and reliability

I'm sure all that heat from the incandescents is most useful from May to September

[Kurt Barlow]

Rebel me, I've got a few 200 Watt (yes, TWO HUNDRED) incandescent bulbs stashed away. Gives me a comfortable feeling that I'll be able to use them as room heaters if my boiler fails....

My back up is a couple of 2000w convector heaters. However after reading this thread I might invest in a bank of 40 100w incandescents

[Kurt Barlow]

Rebel me, I've got a few 200 Watt (yes, TWO HUNDRED) incandescent bulbs stashed away. Gives me a comfortable feeling that I'll be able to use them as room heaters if my boiler fails....

In a few years time thats all the average British household will be able to afford for heating

[Pole]

I don't use any CFLs bulbs. I tried many of them over the last couple of years - sadly they give me massive headaches.

Maybe it's something to do with this:

[erranta]

When i moved in 8 years ago, my incandescent lighting was 'using' about 1KW!

Purchased some QUALITY daylight low energy bulbs. Proper white light (rather than that ghastly yellow from filament bulbs). Big saving on my electricity bill and better light quality.

Everyone to their own, I personally cannot stand the light from incandescent bulbs and cheap 'warm colour' energy saving bulbs are even worse.

They actually All give off a vile, flickering (60hertz), GREEN hued light - just like other flourescent bars.

Your brain auto-cancels the green hue out and makes stuff look the normal colour. This is how they trick the ignorant population!

You can prove this by using a normal daylight 'negative' film and take a picture in your lounge.

If the developer prints the photos correctly your whole lounge will be lit in a Green light & everything will be 'Green' tinged

A part of the 'big picture' of how they are 'bewitching' the "sleepers" and a 'witty' joke(their Utter contempt towards the masses) to go with the Glowball Warming scams/Xtra taxation for Nothing!

Edited January 3, 2011 by erranta

[longtomsilver]

You will probably find your boiler will last longer if it isn't short cycling all the time (which will explain short pump life). I would advise replacing all incandescents with CFLs making the boiler work for longer continous periods. This will do wonders for its longevity and reliability

I'm sure all that heat from the incandescents is most useful from May to September

How much lighting do you need in the summer ? Long days = less lighting requirement and less waste heat. I'm in bed by 10pm.

I don't short cycle my boiler... if and when I do run it I make sure it's for 30minutes minimum! It's failing because it was installed by a muppet. I'm a heating engineer by trade but it's not my responsibility as I'm renting so I'm not going to waste my time.

CFLs offer a poor quality of light at 50hz that's right on/off 100 times a second and the band of light (spectrum) is so narrow it's unhealthy i.e. 4500k look at a filament type it's got a good healthy, broad bandwidth. Leave your CFL in too long and eventually the barrier for UV light will break down and you'll get a nice tan or skin cancer. If a bulb breaks be sure to leave the room for a minimum if 30minutes to be sure the mercury vapour isn't so concentrated in the air or you'll go mad.

Good luck!

Edited January 3, 2011 by tomposh101