| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Ian33568 |
banthebulb.orgNot sure if this has been highlighted before?www.banthebulb.org |
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| Treacodactyl |
Apart from a rarely used outside light which is on a PIR switch we are now totally on energy saving bulbs (CFLs). I'm still not keen on them though so I wouldn't want a ban on incandescents until something better has been invented, perhaps when LEDs are better.
Along with the usual problems with CFLs I also notice buzzing occasionally which not only is annoying but it's claimed they can emit strong electromagnetic fields which some people claim are harmful - anyone know more about this? CFLs should never be thrown away in landfill due to the highly toxic chemicals used in them but our local council doesn't collect them. I would like to see a few years where a concerted effort is made to recycle the CFLs before a ban on other bulbs not just an aim of " Encourage responsible recycling" which probably means do nothing. Using their number of 3 million tonnes of CO2 banning incandescent bulbs would only save 0.005% of the UKs CO2 (based on UKs annual production of 600 million I dug up from a quick google) so I would expect if the effort was used in other areas far more CO2 would be saved. |
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| thos |
My downstairs toilet has two 25W bulbs. It is on for, say, 2 minutes, 3 times a day. In what way would fitting low-energy bulbs save me money and reduce CO2 emissions? | ||||
| JB |
Last time this subject came up I was against it because the low energy bulbs were still too bulky, took too long to come up to full brightness and wouldn't work with dimmer switches. The first has pretty much been solved, the second has improved but there still isn't a low energy bulb that will work with dimmer switches. Solve that problem and I'd be all for phasing out incandescents. | ||||
| Armchair |
I think there may now be a low energy bulb that works with dimmer switches. I may be wrong though. |
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| BahamaMama |
I recently had an energy saving bulb blow after a power surge. It would appear to have a 'do not throw in the wheelie bin' symbol stamped on it.
How do you dispose of energy saving bulbs? |
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| marigold |
http://www.greenshop.co.uk/acatalog/index.html?http%3A has dimmable low energy bulbs I still haven't found a bearable low energy bulb, though hopefully the technology is improving all the time. I've just binned the one on the landing (the only one I had in the house) because it was fizzing and crackling in a most alarming way. |
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| pricey |
Your local Electrical Wholesalers should now have a special bin outside to get rid of these and tubes. All of ours down here have. |
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| Treacodactyl |
I don't visit any though (or do you mean high street shops like Comet?), like most people I'll pick them up in a supermarket or direct. The only place I know that collects them is Ikea. I'll ensure I never through them into landfill but I expect 99% of them will end up there at the moment.
As Pricey mentions Electrical Wholesalers. Ikea also do and I thought local councils should do but I can't find anything on our local web site, I'd be tempted to leave them with the other electrical waste at your local tip to be processed under the WEEE regs. |
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| JB |
No they don't. They have the "MEGAMANŽ Dimming Energy Saving Light Bulb" Which seems to be four bulbs in a single package of which 1 to 4 are switched on at any one time. It is also "Not suitable for digital dimmers, remote-controlled dimmers and touch dimmers". It is also, compared to an incandescent bulb a cumbersomely large light. |
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| AnneandMike |
As a maths teacher I have to point out that 3m out of 600m is 0.5%. If every area of our behaviour could reduce our CO2 by this much it would add up to a real difference. |
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| Treacodactyl |
So it is, forgot to multiply by the 100.  I still wonder have they've calculated the 3 million tonnes, have they assumed that everyone has all their lights on at once or assumed people have just one or two on? A 0.5% saving seems rather optimistic to me.
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| tinyclanger |
Your local council will have a place at the tip for flourecent tubes....your low energy light bulb go in there. | ||||
| lowri |
One of mine blew on a lighting circuit and blew the cartridge fuse in the fusebox. I had to change another (in a table lamp) because it made the radio buzz. I am still not convinced. I can't use one in the Anglepoise over the keyboard because the ballast bit is so heavy the "poise" can't balance. One in an outside light lasted a week. For table lamps with push-on shades I have to look for the "pear" shaped ones. | ||||
| cab |
When CFCs were phased out of aerosols, refrigeration units and halon extinguishers (amongst other things) we undoubtedly lost some quality, we lost some options in what we could do. But still, the environmental cost was such that phasing them out was the right thing to do.
Having less products available for lighting will inevitably mean that there are less options. Still, except for some unusual applications, its the right thing to do. |
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| Slim |
I think most people agree that CFLs have improved by leaps and bounds, and it only seems logical that they would continue to do so, eh? But as for what I've seen on the net, it looks like LEDs really are better already. Just think, longer life, no buzzing, practically indestructable..... As for the electro-magnetic radiation, I also feel like excessive radiation probably isn't the greatest thing in the world, but it's worthwhile to keep in mind that electromagnetic radiation is an incredibly large spectrum. I'd be less worried about the wavelengths coming from your lightbulb (probably not much different than most of your other electrical appliances) and more worried about the microwaves being produced by the cell phone in your pocket, right next to your...  
We're being irradiated at all hours of everyday, and we seem to be coping. All visible light, radio frequencies, infrared radiation (coming from anything hot, like your fire), etc... It's those other wavelengths to worry about (gama, x, micro) |