Low Energy Lightbulbs

[kanga]

I use Mirrabella 5 watt in bedroom lamps and 'overnight' hall light. I have terrible night vision, so if anyone needs to get up during the night, leave this one on...probably a few out there that wouldn't agree with leaving lights on overnight, but find it works for us!!! Otherwise I trip, walk into walls etc. haven't noticed any 'blueness' and only momentary dim - light, very pleased with product!!!

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

I have had my energy saving bulbs for six years now, will check to see the facts and figures and post later, however, I find the warm up time annoying, it gets to the point that I have to leave the dining room light on all day in the winter to enable it to get bright enough to see what you are doing, as the room is well used throughout the day,so it probably defeats the object but it has lasted such a long time I am impressed.

[Boots]

Sorry double post

[Boots]

MAKE: X-Lite
MODEL: SwitchOn
WATTAGE: 11W
CLAIMED EQUIVALENT FILAMENT BRIGHTNESS: Daylight 6400K or 8 Normal incandescnet bulbs
TOTAL LENGTH: about 11cm
CLAIMED LIFESPAN: 8,000 hours
PRICE: $2.99
WHERE BOUGHT: Santa brought it
DATE: 16.01.07
COMMENTS: Have installed 2 of these, one in a room with yellow walls and I don't notice any difference with that one at all... No apparent warm up time... just comes on and works, and is sort of yellowish. The one installed in a lamp against a green wall does have a short, but obvious warm up time and appears very white. The lamp shade is a crystal thing, and it did not glow white before. It is a unique light, quite unusual, and everyone commented on it, while no-one noticed I had changed the other one. You would not think these were the same bulbs.

[revdode]

MODEL: Energy Saving Didn't like that they were made in Budapest - don't we make bulbs in the UK?

I don't think anyone is making CF or conventional lamps in the UK, that type of manufacturing just isn't economic in the UK now We are however responsible for 100% of the low pressue sodium lamps made in the world. I think this is pretty much down to a last man standing, no one wants to setup manufacturing for a product which is getting on a bit.

I'll pick through my mixed selection of CF lamps when I get home and post something terribly unbiased:)

[Thomzo]

I am glad to hear that there are some that come on instantly. I had to go back to a normal bulb in the hall. I found that by the time the light had come on I had already tripped over the cat and fallen down the stairs.

Also in the bathroom. If you are in a rush it's no good waiting for a light to warm up

Zoe

[UKBB]

MAKE: Philips
MODEL: Genie
WATTAGE: 11 & 18W
CLAIMED EQUIVALENT FILAMENT BRIGHTNESS: 60 & 100W
TOTAL LENGTH: 115 & 130mm
CLAIMED LIFESPAN: 6 years
PRICE: Dunno - given to me
WHERE BOUGHT:
DATE:
COMMENTS: These are probably as good as any of the current bulbs available. They are pretty dim at startup, but with a fairly quick warmup to full brightness (30 seconds-ish). Fairly compact with 3 and 4 fluorescent loops. Not sure I'd say they were quite as bright as they suggest they are.

I just bought a Philips bulb for my office and have to agree that it starts really really dim. It would be nice if they could make a bulb that starts as incandescent for immediate light and then dims out the incandescent once the CFL brightens up.

UKBB

[revdode]

I just bought a Philips bulb for my office and have to agree that it starts really really dim. It would be nice if they could make a bulb that starts as incandescent for immediate light and then dims out the incandescent once the CFL brightens up.
UKBB

Even more to go wrong, an additional timer or photosensor bundled into the gear already stuffed into the housing of the CF lamp. Also the fillament part of the lamp would have a limited life so if it were integrated the whole combined lamp would have a limited life.

The little delay in CF lamps really isn't a big problem in most applications, anyone who is in so much of a hurry that they can't wait a couple of seconds for a lamp to light is probably not worrying about their energy use.

One of the frustrations of CF lamps is every time the lamp goes you are also throwing away the gear (electronics) tucked into the base. If we adopted non integrated CF lamps as standard on new builds it would cut the cost and be better for the environment.

[Silver Ether]

errrrrrrrr well I dont like the light the Phillips or the whispers Tescos ones as niether are bright enough and the light they give of is a very cold light ... not nice when trying to snuggle up and read ...

also ... My fella has just read in some paper or othere .. that they contain mercury so that means they have to be disposed of in a special way ...

[UKBB]

The little delay in CF lamps really isn't a big problem in most applications, anyone who is in so much of a hurry that they can't wait a couple of seconds for a lamp to light is probably not worrying about their energy use.

Well if I had to rely on this bulb when walking into my office I would probably kill myself tripping over something. It starts THAT dim. As someone else mentioned I plan into going in there so that the light has time to warm up before I go in. If I need quick light I turn on the hallway light to help out.

also ... My fella has just read in some paper or othere .. that they contain mercury so that means they have to be disposed of in a special way ...

I have a counter I set up in my basement laundry room made up with some recycled kitchen cabinets that I use for sorting my recyclables. I keep a box on a shelf there for storing dead cfl bulbs to take to my city's hazardous waste drop off day. No biggie for me. I also read recently that the amount of mercury in a CFL bulb equals the amount of mercury in 5 mercury free thermometers. The woman with the expensive clean up sounds like it was an over reaction.

UKBB

[ina]

I have a couple of daylight bulbs now - very expensive, but well worth it: I can now knit dark colours in artificial light again without straining my eyes!

[Silver Ether]

I also read recently that the amount of mercury in a CFL bulb equals the amount of mercury in 5 mercury free thermometers. The woman with the expensive clean up sounds like it was an over reaction.

UKBB

does that mean theres no mercury in the bulbs then .. or should the thermometers be called almost mercury free

[Silver Ether]

just had a google and came up with this one

http://www.nvmdigital.com/photos/lelset.html ...

and you never guess what I did .... when I asked google the question I said please ...

[revdode]

There is mercury in CFL bulbs, the amount varies by brand and lamp type. Philips claim lower mercury content than many of the cheaper brands, it's the brand I have documentation to hand for, I'm sure others offer similar lower content lamps. BTW Mercury is also used in the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs, just because they are familiar doesn't mean they are knitted from sand and bauxite by old ladies in cottages

I'll see if I can find some details of life testing cycling CFL lamps. Generally all lamp lifes are based on operating times and don't take into account cycling them on and off.

While I agree that CFL aren't a perfect solution, the savings they offer make sense. It's worth remembers a CFL is just a fluorescent lamp packaged to fit in the space available. The gear / electronics is integrated into the base but apart from that it's not really any more scary than the fluorescent tubes we've had for decades.