A word about low-energy light bulbs.

iltisman · 3 May 2008 at 7:56PM

The best fix for lighting is wear a device like a miners headlamp then you are only illuminating what you want to see,why illuminate the area behind you?
I have done this whilst a poverty stricken student in the 70s and of course I used ni-cads charged at college.

geordie_joe · 3 May 2008 at 8:38PM

iltisman wrote: »

The best fix for lighting is wear a device like a miners headlamp then you are only illuminating what you want to see,why illuminate the area behind you?
I have done this whilst a poverty stricken student in the 70s and of course I used ni-cads charged at collage.

That made me laugh, but at the same time it is sound advice.

It would save money going to the loo or making a cuppa too, as you wouldn't be turning several lights on, you'd just be taking the one with you.

Gorgeous_George · 3 May 2008 at 9:06PM

Yeah, and only buy enough carpet for your feet. A bit of superglue and hey presto, saved loads.

Buy a small LCD TV and place it really close to your face.

Sit in the greenhouse rather than fly to hot countries for holiday.

If you must have a pet, get a pig rather than a dog.

Any more for any more?

GG

Gorgeous_George · 3 May 2008 at 9:07PM

Keep the boxes.

Then, when you have used the bulb for a year or two, sell it on eBay.

GG

geordie_joe · 3 May 2008 at 9:26PM

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

Yeah, and only buy enough carpet for your feet. A bit of superglue and hey presto, saved loads.

Buy a small LCD TV and place it really close to your face.

Sit in the greenhouse rather than fly to hot countries for holiday.

If you must have a pet, get a pig rather than a dog.

Any more for any more?

GG

Probably a bit off topic, but made me laugh :rotfl:

How about saving money on expensive binoculars by standing closer to the things you want to look at.

When frying bacon it can save money if you turn the gas off while you turn the bacon over.

Savvy_Sue · 4 May 2008 at 12:13AM

Getting back on topic ...

I really dislike halogens! They get SOOOO hot, and they are ridiculously bright! I was lying on the floor at the gym today and found it most uncomfortable under the halogens. The jewellers where I bought a ring recently only switched theirs on when a customer wanted to look at something, because otherwise everything got too hot. And a friend had a halogen reading light for her son and it nearly set fire to the bed!

I'm sure if they're installed sensibly these problems don't arise, but I don't think people give proper thought to these things.

rjp_2 · 16 August 2008 at 3:34AM

One thing I noticed about the 60 LED replacement bulbs on eBay: not all sellers are offering 50mm diameter bulbs. Some are described as 60mm or more in diameter. This may or may not be a problem, depending on your fixture. A typical recess (like a downlighter) has a 50mm diameter. Note: GU10 only refers to the fitting at the base of the bulb, not the bulb size. Check the diameter and length before ordering.

Another example of the size issue is the Megaman range of compact fluorescent GU10 energy-saving bulbs, which are longer than normal halogens. They protrude from my downlighters by about 2cm (there are downlighters designed for these Megaman bulbs in the TLC catalogue, but would you want to build your light fittings around one brand?)

I haven't tried the 60 LED lamp myself, but can see they'd be a good choice if 30W equivelent output is sufficient. However, we only have four fittings in our kitchen and I didn't want to sacrifice on brightness, so I opted for the 11W Megaman bulbs which are 50W equivelent. Admittedly they have some disadvantages (aside from the non-standard length, they take a few seconds to reach full brightness, won't last so long as LEDs and of course aren't quite as energy saving as the 2W LED bulbs). Still, once they've warmed up I find them to be even better to cook by than the old halogens.

While ordering the Megaman bulbs, I also got 21 LED lamps for the bathroom. No doubt the 60 LED lamps would be ideal but I wanted to save on postage and packaging and TLC don't have much choice in LED lamps yet. I find the 21 LED replacements to be ok for the bathroom, which is fairly small but has six downlighters. Even if these bulbs are only equivelent to 10-15 Watts, that is still 60-90W in total for a fairly small room. Also, while the light is bluish, I don't find it harsh. They are not at all like those old fluorescent lights that hurt the eyes and make your skin look terrible in the mirror.

jackieb · 16 August 2008 at 8:38AM

I hate the light that normal energy saving bulbs give off. I had to change one I had in the livingroom as it was making me feel miserable - honestly!

Someone on here recommended the daylight energy saving bulbs - so I ordered a 20w one (they're quite expensive) to try out. Due to a kitchen extension our dining area is pretty dark. This bulb is miles better than the usual energy ones - it gives off a totally different (white) light.

I just have to save up and buy some more now. http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/category/32/daylight-energy-savers/

A_fiend_for_life · 16 August 2008 at 7:28PM

My CRT is due was last tested in March 1999.

The CFLs are 2 to 3 years old.

I'm wary of mentioning this as it does seem to invite problems.

Saying that I have had problems with other gadgets but usually because they were not the best quality.

I used to work in an electrical wholesaler's and generally Philips and GE were the best performers. We used to get a few back for Osram though.

Sledge_2 · 18 August 2008 at 11:03AM

Hi everyone,

I've been installing LED lighting in my house and yard for a while now, my advice would be to use proper (expensive) Luxeon single or triple emitter lamps. They come with a choice of white colours and easily produce the equivalent to to the 35W halogen MR16s.

I don't know whether I'm allowed to post a link as such, (http://www.kymanledtex.com/) but this is the company I use, I've been running some of them now for 18 months, a few hours a day, and they haven't given me any trouble.

People have mentioned that they have problems driving the LEDs as they only use a small amount of power, so the best solution is to use 'Varilight' transformers, (http://www.varilight.co.uk), they have a power range, usually from zero watts upto the limit required, most transformers will have a rating such as 20-60W and therefore won't power 10W of LED very well.

I've found the best way is to just install them in parallel using the 'varilight' and bobs yer uncle (so to speak).

The massive advantage of the LEDs, apart form the extreme low power consumption, is that they run relatively cool (a 3.2W emitter can be handled while on without discomfort), therefore, there's no need for leaving ventilation space above the fittings, and by using fireproof lampholders, you can place insulation over them, therefore saving heat loss too.

Any probs, just email me.

A word about low-energy light bulbs.

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