I'm beginning to hate low energy light bulbs!

Sirbendy

oh, pish. Proper disposal minimises the risk, and as for seizures and "OMG, we're going to die" stories - I have CP, am sensitive to flicker, yet have no effects from the CFLs I've had throught all of the houses/flats, ranging from Tesco cheapass ones to expensive warmtone ones, over a 12 year span.

You could die getting run over by a bus tomorrow, or in your sleep, or in 1001 ways that the papers and media love to panic push. It's a lightbulb for heavens sakes. It's not a miniature sun in each fitting.

I have to say we run 11w throughout...the bathroom is LOVELY and bright. No shade, and white walls, with a white suite. In here is a bit dimmer due to magnolia walls.

People need to stop panicking and finding excuses, drop the 200 year old incredibly inefficient bulbs and investigate technology. LEDs I love...as to mercury and CFLs - google CCFLs, and see why the newest CFL replacement bulbs are less of an issue.

LIFE will kill you eventually - I don't see the point in worrying about media hype and panic over every little thing - they exist to spead panic and sell paper.

Sirbendy

stevehead wrote: »

Yeah the quality of the light coming from these energy saving bulbs can be pretty drab and like another poster pointed out makes georgous food look insipid.
I saw Nigel Havers once say that he insists on all the energy savers being removed from hotel room he uses 'cos the light's so horrible.
Well I binned all mine this year, and filled the house with LED's. They cost lots, and I made some mistakes buying crappy Ebay LED bulbs. But they use very little energy, and you can have your cake and eat it with good light quality too.

eg

Living Room:
1500 Warm White LED's in three 5 meter strips. Coving dropped, LED's installed behind coving. Dimmable. 7w - 55w
Centre Rose replaced with 4 X 3w Warm White Cree Xlamp Spots
Excellent ajustable ambient lighting, with v bright central area if required.

Bathroom
5 X Embedded 3 Watt Cree LED (gotta be Cree) Ceiling Spots, 6 X Embedded 1.8 Watt colour scrolling LED's.
Very bright, and good ambiance.

And they don't fade up slowly, or make food look sick.

NICE! Seen setups like that, and I have to say - if I wasn't renting, I would do LEDs. The Cree LEDs are awesome..Jems torch has one, it's a 1 watt..it's impressive..heh.

The LED emergency lights I make up for us only use the 60 degree "superflux" conventional white..I'd love to try one with a cree. Not sure how it'd cope with the underlying circuit though. I use my lights instead of candles, since becoming a cat owner and being wary of feline curiousity,

DemiDee

Sirbendy wrote: »

LIFE will kill you eventually - I don't see the point in worrying about media hype and panic over every little thing - they exist to spead panic and sell paper.

I agree, but sometimes it is worth listening to an alternative to the government's stance. After all, cigarettes were considered safe once. Life will kill you eventually of course, but might as well make the most of it by minimizing the risks and living as healthily as possible. That sometimes means having an openness to new information rather than dismissing it completely. Many smokers still say 'life will kill me eventually' until they are suffering - then they often wish that 'eventually' had come a little later. But this is beside the point - I haven't said that the new lightbulbs will kill us, but simply warned of the risks they pose.

Fire_Fox

DemiDee wrote: »

I'm all for energy saving, and money saving...but when it comes to health, surely that is more important that saving a few pounds by having longer lasting lightbulbs? These new bulbs are a disaster waiting to happen in terms of the mercury they contain and the effects they can have on the skin. See here for just a small amount of information on what will inevitably become a big problem:

http://www.lifebite.co.uk/index.php/home/detail/the_health_risks_of_eco_light_bulbs/

This is opinion backed up this with unreferenced 'facts': if I used this article in my degree work, I would achieve a big fat fail. It's not even well written; "light being a vital necessity"?!

The website itself admits to a biased and, in my eyes, wholly unscientific perspective on world affairs:
"A unique biblical perspective on current affairs, both home and abroad. Writing with the Source of all life in mind, we will examine topical issues and offer solutions by tackling the causes, rather than the symptoms, of our social and other problems.

So who are we? – We are Christians who believe this is God’s world, not man’s…

Why are we doing this? – Because our mainstream UK media reflects a largely secular agenda devoid of reference to divine involvement which thus presents a lop-sided view of world events."


Alternative viewpoints:
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/energyefficiency/lighting/publications/fs2.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/jan/07/lightbulbs-eco

icefall

learned a lot about bulbs today thanks to this thread.

lynsababe

I currently use peach and/or pink ones - do they come in colours?

Freddie_Snowbits

Primrose wrote: »

Maybe it's a case of deteriorating eyesight but I really hate the lower light levels

Brilliant Solution to green issues, ban a perfectly good product because of some green tax. the 100W bulb has gone.

Now I use two 60W bulbs instead.

And this is thanks to teh fact I have poor eyesight and need light to see what I am reading, even with glasses

stevehead

I've just completed a lighting refurb in my kitchen with all led lighting.

They've been all led for a year now, but unsatisfactory in terms of light output and colour. It's a steep and expensive learning curve getting hold of the right lamps, and I wasted ££ on ebay buying allegedly 'bright as a 50w Halogen' Spots and yeuchy under cabinet strip lighting. Well... the money was spent and the led's remained in place disappointing as they were.
I've now got to grips with what makes a good 'un, and I've gone through the rest of the house with LED's that are fine.

Back to the kitchen..... bought 4 MR16 Spots from Ebay shop iggiebabie. These are based on the Nichia emitter, come in Warm White, and produce 400 lumens @ 7 watts. Stunning Colour! Blazingly bright! I've never seen such a superb halogen replacement - perfect.
To add more defocussed light, I ran 5m of Warm White LED stickyback reel from besthongkong.com under the wall units. Again brilliant - I have used this stuff before in bedrooms and living room.
The kitchen is now really really bright, food looks good, I can read the small print on labels as the light is so crisp.
Finally... very happy. Halogens and 'Energy Saver' Bulbs bye bye forever and I won't miss anything about you.

Froggitt

stevehead wrote: »

Back to the kitchen..... bought 4 MR16 Spots from Ebay shop iggiebabie. These are based on the Nichia emitter, come in Warm White, and produce 400 lumens @ 7 watts. Stunning Colour! Blazingly bright! I've never seen such a superb halogen replacement - perfect.

@stevehead cant find iggybabie on ebay.....misspell? Or can you give link to the bulb you bought. Presumably they are 50w equivalents?

Froggitt

In fact, the nichia search only comes up with 200 or so lumens bulbs.