Lightbulb Demise!

Sirbendy

nope...BUT, IIRC they have to be CCFL, not CFL...It's a new type that's gradually coming in that's based on similar tech to PC case lighting. You can't use a standard CFL in a dimmer IIRC, but CCFL based ones you can.

I've used CCFLs throughout before I even moved from my mothers...the older ones could be a bit of a warmup wait, but the newer ones are pretty good! The flat we're hopefully moving to has them in the "wall wash" uplighters, in the ceiling fittings etc already, so I'll have a stock from the current house.

The flat before this house we're in now has ES fitting bulbs..I had CFLs in those too..the new tenant is still running them..heh.

The only ones I've found that give issue were the ones that Southern sent out free - they're a bit fatter at the base and won't sit in my desk light.

Most of mine are the 9w, I have a couple of 11w too. Incandescents are overdue for retirement IMO..I think Edison would be horrified if he knew we were still using his invention these days.

I sat down and did the maths..running CFLs is pennies, if that. They're all the el-cheapo Tesco/Wilko jobbies.

Clive_Woody

fitpig wrote: »

The new ones cause migraine and epilepsy.

A nonsense scare story perpetuated by the Daily Mail and similar such rags that specialise in outrage and ridiculous campaigns!

oldone_2

This is an E.U led initiative to eventually ban ALL the old type bulbs. Low energy bulbs do not operate at low temperatures, which includes inside your refridgerator.

Unfortunately the biggest problem is the amount of mercury the new bulbs contain.The E.U. may eventually reduce global warming/carbon footprints etc, but at the cost of polluting landfill sites with mercury, since it is agiven that in spite of refuse tips having safe disposal areas for these low energy bulbs, the majority will continue to dump them in their bins, just as they have always done.

TimBuckTeeth

oldone wrote: »

This is an E.U led initiative to eventually ban ALL the old type bulbs. Low energy bulbs do not operate at low temperatures, which includes inside your refridgerator.

Unfortunately the biggest problem is the amount of mercury the new bulbs contain.The E.U. may eventually reduce global warming/carbon footprints etc, but at the cost of polluting landfill sites with mercury, since it is agiven that in spite of refuse tips having safe disposal areas for these low energy bulbs, the majority will continue to dump them in their bins, just as they have always done.

Special use bulbs - like in a fridge will still be available for many years.
The energy used by a 15W bulb used occasionally for a minute at a time is negligible.
White LEDs are advanced enough now to be used for applications such as fridges, although not currently as cheaply as the pennies cost for a bulb. I expect in the next few years that they will start to appear in fridges and similar appliances, although probably not inside ovens as they get too hot.

I use compact fluorescent lamps throughout the house, but agree they are not perfect, hopefully LED technology will improve to be bright enough and economical for use as the main light in a room.

Sirbendy

I've just bought a Cree LED based 3v torch, and it's PAINFUL to look at...LEDs are stupidly bright, and getting brighter. You can get LED replacements for MR11/MR16 bulbs now that are quite good.

CFLs look to be heading towards phasing out anyway, towards the newer CCFL ones...since they're dimmable and contain much less mercury (or so people think)

alanq

debbie42 wrote: »

I thought they needed a different type of dimmer switch, though?

Dimmable CFLs are becoming more readily available and cheaper. See major DIY stores and Ryness for example.

There are some that dim by flicking a normal light switch on and off. Last year I saw these for about £12. Yesterday in B&Q £2 reduced to £1.

There are others that work with normal dimmers. The ones that I saw last year were £15 and only worked if the dimmer switch could accept a certain minimum loading. I could see no marking on my dimmer saying what it would accept. Yesterday in B&Q I saw a dimmable CFL costing £5 that is supposed to work with any dimmer switch .

I read somewhere that with traditional lights the power drawn is in proportion to the power used but that with CFLs the efficiency of the decreases as the light is dimmed.

pickledpink

I don't know one person who likes the low energy bulbs. They give out a dull, depressing greeny-grey hue and should be BANNED!!!

I like bulbs which give off warm, soft, peachy-golden hues for my table lamps - and bright clear lights for my chandeliers. A bright clear light is essential for reading - and low energy bulbs remind me of dreary, drizzly light you see in some waiting rooms on train station platforms.

I think it's wrong to be FORCED to buy something you hate! And all this planet-saving claptrap is tosh! Making low energy bulbs actually uses MORE energy than making incandescent bulbs! It's just a money making scheme for the manafacturers.

Sirbendy

sorry, but...balls.

There are different types and shades of CFL - some white and glaring, some "soft" as you describe. Some can be dim until they warm up, some aren't. Pick the right type, it'll do fine.

I run them throughout...do I find them dim? No. Do I read by them? Every night. I'm VERY senditive to flicker - do I find they affect me? No. Monitors do, CFLs do not.

Shop around, try different makes/types/outputs - they're not ALL the same. I have a VERY white one in my uplighter..spiral wound job. Fast start, no warm up.

I think incandescents should have been retired LONG before now...it's 200+ year old tech for goodness sakes. With the exception of the car engine, I can't think of anything more overdue for replacement.

They're not expensive taken over their lifetime which is longer than an incandescent, they save money on the bills, they do the job. That's all there is to say. I've used them pretty much since they came out, and while the early ones were a bit under par, the advances now are spot on.

I will also embrace CCFL as they come mainstream, and LED after that (although I already do). You can bury your head in the sand, or you can try new things - I know what I'm doing.

richardc1983

Clive_Woody wrote: »

A nonsense scare story perpetuated by the Daily Mail and similar such rags that specialise in outrage and ridiculous campaigns!

Your wrong. Fluorescent lights flicker thousands of times a seconds due to the frequency at which they operate at. For migraine sufferers or epilepsy sufferers this can lead to attacks or migraines.

Google it!

Sirbendy

richardc1983 wrote: »

Your wrong. Fluorescent lights flicker thousands of times a seconds due to the frequency at which they operate at. For migraine sufferers or epilepsy sufferers this can lead to attacks or migraines.

Google it!

Operative word: Can.

Not WILL. Can. Is "can" definitive and all encompassing? Not last time I checked.

It's hardly a big challenge I would imagine to find bulbs with various frequencies of flicker - not something I've looked at personally, but I know some "normal" tubes can flicker like a swine, whereas others don't. As I say - try them before you buy if you can. It's one of the "YMMV" things, but I don't see what the issue with the "OMG, we want to keep stupidly inefficient 200 year old design" is all about.

If flicker is a major issue, then...well...don't watch TV, don't use monitors either..they're worse than any CFL I can think of..

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=flickering-fallacy-cfl-bulb-headaches

Quote: Industry experts acknowledge that day-to-day exposure to older, magnetically ballasted long tube fluorescent bulbs found mostly in industrial and institutional settings could cause headaches due to their noticeable flicker rate. The human brain can detect the 60 cycles per second such older bulbs need to refresh themselves to keep putting out light. However, modern, electronically ballasted CFLs refresh themselves at between 10,000 and 40,000 cycles per second, rates too fast for the human eye or brain to detect.