energy saving bulbs - now ripoff

Chrysalis

Ok I havent had to buy light bulbs for quite a while, as I was using bulbs sent to me by my electric company a few years back, but now I have one left so went to buy some expecting them to cost about 50p each.

Then bam, £5 or so each, or maybe down to £3 or so if buy in bulk. am I seeing things or have people just accepted this kind of price for a lightbulb?

I can buy 10 industry not power saving bulbs for £6. So the question is given that my bulbs tend to last about a year each and they not even on for long periods is it really cheaper to spend £5 on a bulb instead of 60p on a bulb?

Battleaxe44

The bulbs are supposed to reduce energy consumption and do last longer than a normal bulb. I don't like them, for the hobby I do of an evening, I need a brighter light than what the energy saving bulb emits, so I can't see how this saves energy if youu have to use a lamp that has two energy saving bulbs in it.

Please don't say, use a higher amp bulb in this case.

As far as I am concerned the jury is still out regarding saving money.

I agree the cost is a shocker.

personally, and I am going to get rocks thrown at me for this, I feel it is a con..

In the States, well Texas, you can't buy ordinary light bulbs, it is all energy efficency bulbs now. Over the dining room table hangs a light fitting with 10 energy efficency bulbs, highest ampage for the light fitting and there is still not enough light emitted for the size of the room.=, so the flouro light in the kitchen is always turned on to give enough illumination How can this be saving money and energy?

Chrysalis

Yeah they dimmer but are powerful enough for me, and I acknowedge they last longer than the old consumer bulbs (not sure about industrial ones). But at this price I am very curious if they actually save any money.

Digging a bit on google reveals alot of inflation occured after normal bulbs were ramped down in production. So it seems a supply and demand where they basically ramped the price knowing people lacked alternatives. thats why my post title.

There is even an amazon seller stating their bulbs will arrive in power company boxing and to not be concerned, so they selling bulbs that were supplied by power companies for free/cheap at £5 a pop unreal.

ic

The bulbs were previously heavily subsidised by the energy companies under legal obligations, which have now finished. You're seeing the actual price of these bulbs, taking into account the manufacturing costs.

If you're not keen on the fluorescent bulbs/sticks - I suggest you try the higher wattage spiral types (15W / 20W) from the named brands (Philips, Osram, etc) - I have these and think they're excellent - there is however still a small warm up period. Otherwise look into encapsulated halogens, these aren't as efficient (but still far better than the old filament bulbs), look like bulbs, and light instantly. LED are still prohibitively expensive in my opinion. A decent LED can cost £20+, anything cheaper and you'll probably wind up with something that is dim, the wrong colour, or likely to fail quickly.

If your bulbs are only lasting a year each, I'd say you've a problem. I've found the fluorescent bulbs have tended to last me five years plus each.

lstar337

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

The bulbs are supposed to reduce energy consumption and do last longer than a normal bulb. I don't like them, for the hobby I do of an evening, I need a brighter light than what the energy saving bulb emits, so I can't see how this saves energy if youu have to use a lamp that has two energy saving bulbs in it.

Please don't say, use a higher amp bulb in this case.

As far as I am concerned the jury is still out regarding saving money.

I agree the cost is a shocker.

personally, and I am going to get rocks thrown at me for this, I feel it is a con..

In the States, well Texas, you can't buy ordinary light bulbs, it is all energy efficiency bulbs now. Over the dining room table hangs a light fitting with 10 energy efficiency bulbs, highest am page for the light fitting and there is still not enough light emitted for the size of the room.=, so the flouro light in the kitchen is always turned on to give enough illumination How can this be saving money and energy?

Oh no, now it's going to look like I am chasing you around the forum. I really am not, I promise.

It sounds like you have the wrong rated bulbs. Look for the lumen output.

I have very energy efficient bulbs, and most give out more light than their non eco ancestors. I switched to T5 fluorescents with electronic ballasts for the kitchen and that made a massive saving. LED bulbs are used for the rest and they all have a high lumen output.

As far as your hobby goes, look for the cool white variety. These give the impression of a higher output and are much easier on the eyes. They do look clinical in a living area though.

Just to add, don't judge the bulbs based on the energy companies freebies, most of the free bulbs were awfully dim and depressing. Look for the compact spiral bulbs, the sticks are not that good at all IMHO.

Battleaxe44

lstar337 wrote: »

Oh no, now it's going to look like I am chasing you around the forum. I really am not, I promise.

It sounds like you have the wrong rated bulbs. Look for the lumen output.

I have very energy efficient bulbs, and most give out more light than their non eco ancestors. I switched to T5 fluorescents with electronic ballasts for the kitchen and that made a massive saving. LED bulbs are used for the rest and they all have a high lumen output.

As far as your hobby goes, look for the cool white variety. These give the impression of a higher output and are much easier on the eyes. They do look clinical in a living area though.

Just to add, don't judge the bulbs based on the energy companies freebies, most of the free bulbs were awfully dim and depressing. Look for the compact spiral bulbs, the sticks are not that good at all IMHO.

Hahahahaha, :rotfl: no I would not say that..just that we have strong opinions reagarding certain things.

I will certianly look for the cool white varieties, fine stitching requires good light.

The ones we have in the kitchen are ok and did cost money, they don't seem to 'blow' like the old ones.

It's sad world if we can't agree to disagree.

lstar337

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

Hahahahaha, :rotfl: no I would not say that..just that we have strong opinions reagarding certain things.

I will certianly look for the cool white varieties, fine stitching requires good light.

The ones we have in the kitchen are ok and did cost money, they don't seem to 'blow' like the old ones.

It's sad world if we can't agree to disagree.

Aww, I'm so glad. I'm not a bad person, I promise. :A

We'll have to disagree on the other thread, but I think if you try a cool white veriety with a high lumen output, you will agree with me on this one.

Myser

Battleaxe44 wrote: »

I need a brighter light than what the energy saving bulb emits, ...

The RNIB have found the best CFL lamp with high lumen output for those with visual impairments. Have a look at these:

http://www.rnib.org.uk/shop/Pages/Category.aspx?Category=light_bulbs

The light produced is a cooler temperature but should be suitable for your hobby.

OP: LED lamps are still comparatively expensive so it may be worth considering halogen replacement lamps. They are considered as energy saving too when compared to the old filament lamps.

Biggles

I would echo what lstar337 said, just look at the lumens, ignore the watts. Now that there are so many different technologies, each takes a different wattage to reach the same brightness and the lumens have to be listed on every packet now.

In the early days, some manufacturers got CFLs a bad name by just equating a 20w, or even 18w, CFL with a 100w incandescent, whereas most aren't nearly that bright.

Look for a minimum of 1,200 lumens if you're looking for a 100w replacement, I usually try and get 1,300 or more. These are usually rated at a nominal 23w.

Biggles

Myser wrote: »

The RNIB have found the best CFL lamp with high lumen output for those with visual impairments. Have a look at these:

http://www.rnib.org.uk/shop/Pages/Category.aspx?Category=light_bulbs

Their website doesn't, erm, throw much light on the subject.

The same 20w bulb is listed twice, and it says it's 'available in screw fitting or bayonet fitting'. But the link to screw fitting claims 1,200 lumens and the link to bayonet fitting 1,070 lumens. And yet they are both 'equivalent to 85w'.

Myser

Biggles wrote: »

Their website doesn't, erm, throw much light on the subject.

The same 20w bulb is listed twice, and it says it's 'available in screw fitting or bayonet fitting'. But the link to screw fitting claims 1,200 lumens and the link to bayonet fitting 1,070 lumens. And yet they are both 'equivalent to 85w'.

I have contacted them about the confusing picture and corresponding lamp description! Both the Bayonet Cap (DH284BC) and Edisson Screw (DH284ES) lamps have the same picture.