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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To really fucking hate energy saving lightbulbs?

184 replies

DarlingDuck · 11/10/2011 19:08

Ok I realise it is a good thing that we use them and think we should but I hate the dim flourescent glow, am starting to notice it more now the nights are drawing in and remembering just how much it does my head in.

OP posts:
Peachy · 12/10/2011 00:35

Apparenlty

idea was using electrical ballast you could power tube from an electrical currentb therfore overcoming flcikering caused by an AC current at 50hz. Number one cause from old flourescents of migraines.

It's not working.

Dh dictated that fist it then drifted off to sleep sorry. I ahve noidea wtf he means.

Orbinator · 12/10/2011 00:35

Yes, there's a point, LED's have been around for ages (although house lightin may not be quite the same as my CDT single bulb LED projects at school I guess), but why didn't we fund more work into that technology than a new and potentially dangerous one that no one has had time to fully examine?

Rebelwithoutapplause · 12/10/2011 00:38

I agree that LED's are the future - I've seen some fantastic LED lighting, but at £20 for a high performance lamp there's still some way to go before they are mass market.

FYI Philips announced last year that they are stopping all research into CFL technology and focusing on LED, so the future look bright (sorry). I sense however that there will always be a percentage of the population who would complain even if they lived on fantasy island.

Peachy · 12/10/2011 00:39

We are doing
or rather USA especially is- there's a reward for whoever develops first perfect colour rendering LED light bulb
it's just not sexy cerne stuff so nobody knows

perfumedlife · 12/10/2011 00:39

Peachy I love you, your typing brightens my day. Grin

Peachy · 12/10/2011 00:40

The manufacturers of CFL bulbs is responsible for costs of dispsoal so not surpised about Phillips tbh

Peachy · 12/10/2011 00:40

perfumed ta

wine is to blame tonight LOL

PigletJohn · 12/10/2011 00:41

"Dh dictated that fist it then drifted off to sleep sorry. I ahve noidea wtf he means."

I think he might have said Electronic ballast (flicker-resistant)

perfumedlife · 12/10/2011 00:44

Rebel, can only speak for myself, but I am not one of life's complainers. However, I have two chronic health conditions and spend a lot of time indoors at home. I've never had cause to really notice bulbs, I use a lot of lamps with low wattage dotted around for light sensitivity. I moan now, because the choice is being taken away. My health is being affected further, as if it's not crap enough being this ill.

I thought giving consumers choice was important, seems not.

Peachy · 12/10/2011 00:45

Yes probably Piglet- Dc discharge and stuff? deffo flicker resistant yes

I am no science bod, humanities all th way here LOL

Scuttlebutter · 12/10/2011 00:50

Why should I doubt the information that is provided on the website? Govt advice is v clear - these bulbs should not go into household waste. My point was that this is unrealistic for many householders who either do not know this, or are not able to get to specialist disposal points. It is also unrealistic to expect all householders to do this, therefore these bulbs are entering the residual waste stream where they can endanger refuse collectors, recycling workers and ultimately local environments surrounding landfills and incineration plants.

Although these bulbs are WEEE waste, not all producers will take them back at shops. Producers have a choice, they can either do their own thing and accept WEEE waste at their shops or they can join a producer compliance scheme - these arrange pickups from places like Civic Amenity Sites on behalf of the producers.

This article here gives a brief overview of the poisoning of Chinese workers and the pollution caused by mercury mining.

Rebelwithoutapplause · 12/10/2011 00:51

^Our plumber reckons most of these new boilers are not very reliable vs the old Potterton steam engines, so said we should keep ours goimng for as long as we can - and the new ones can't push water through old victorian pipes as well.

Not all that is new glitters....^

I would never recommend replacing a functioning boiler with a new one... the cost argument never works out unless you are using oil, however as for reliability, there are plenty of boilers that broke down in the past, like all things, if you bought a good one in the past it will last a long time and the same holds true today.

Most people however unfortunately equate low purchase price with getting a good deal and end up buying poorly manufactured products which end up breaking down. There are good products on the market but like all things in life they cost a little more up front and hence aren't as popular. I have a condensing boiler which works really well - it's not the technology which is wrong, it's the people failing to do their homework when buying it.

perfumedlife · 12/10/2011 00:57

I pretty much agree with that Rebel, apart from when it comes to paying lots for washing machines for some reason. Confused

Rebelwithoutapplause · 12/10/2011 00:58

Perfume

Unfortunately the role of government is to make decisions for the majority and the flip side of this is that the minority can be affected.

I believe that the decisions that have been made are for the greater good, however I recognize that there may be those with particular medical conditions that need to be catered for - perhaps one solution would be to offer incandescent lamps on prescription, a move I would support.

PigletJohn · 12/10/2011 01:00

"Why should I doubt the information that is provided on the website? "

Like I said - if you care.

You appear to be resistant to taking a CFL to the tip next time you are passing. You don't seem to want to ask if there is, for example, a collection bin at a convenient point that might not be on the Website search.

If I was tired and irritable I might say you seemed to be looking for objections rather than solutions.

For example, in my town, subject to the scale of the map, there is the big tip I know about, plus a bin in the pedestrian precinct (shown on the websearch), plus they show the address of the council offices. I remember seeing some skips in their car park but never looked at them.

posterofaghoul · 12/10/2011 01:33

I hate them. They actually suck light out of rooms.

aurynne · 12/10/2011 01:40

Pigletjohn, I don't know whether you "are in the sciences" or not, but you do display an overwhelming lack of understanding of matters of everyday life, and how scientific research is applied to the real world.

Scientific studies in order to prove energy consumption/fuel consumption/speed/any kind of efficiency are done in IDEAL circumstances, i.e., constant energy flux, constant temperature, no seismic movements, constant humidity, controlled number of "turning on/off" cycles, etc etc. They are a great base to start promoting a product, but by no means will offer the same result in a home, with normal use, under changing conditions and use.

Light bulbs have a very defined and easy-to-understand aim in life: illuminate rooms or places. They have to do it fast and efficiently. The solution we have had for the last century or so (normal light bulbs, no need to use specific terms when anyone will understand whet we are talking about) have fulfilled this requirement wonderfully. As a result, people have been using cheap and easy-to-replace light bulbs to illuminate their house, and it must be one of the most satisfactory, most useful and less controversial item that a household has had for decades.

Now we have a new series of energy-saving light bulbs (call them whatever you want, everyone understands what they are), which, regardless how well they perform in a sterile lab, the fact is, when used inside a house, with changes in humidity, temperature, ups-and-downs in electricity supply, being touched by normal people not wearing sterile gloves, being turned on and off multiple times at non-regular intervals... have proved that are much, much worse in terms of "immediate results" ,than the good old light bulbs. Any normal person can see that: a) They take ages to reach an acceptable luminosity, b) Many of them are big and ugly, c) The kind of light they produce is dull, d) They produce toxic residue (you can laugh as much as you want, but 5 mg of mercury is NOT a small risk, especially considering that every single household is using them) and e) They have to be disposed of in limited and sometimes difficult to reach places... in an ideal World everyone would recycle them in the proper way, but once again, this is not the ideal world, and even you will have to finally admit most people can't be arsed to make any effort for the sake of recycling bulbs. For goodness sake, people can't even be arsed to throw their rubbish in the bin most of times, and you expect them to travel several miles to dispose of a light bulb??

Anyone can see these things, we are not stupid (as you seem to imply in your arrogant posts) and we are perfectly able to judge whether or not a new product makes us happier than the previous one we have been always using.

And by the way, I AM into the sciences myself. I earn my living by doing research and writing scientific reports and articles using very specific conditions, very specific protocols and very specific products. And one of the many things that has taught me, is precisely the difference between "laboratory conditions" and the real world.

These new energy saving bulbs are just not performing, and are driving people mad. Whatever the industry does, they need to come up with something better. otherwise, regardless of the links you provide, or the very clear laboratory results you talk about, they will continue to be crap, and people won't use them. And then you'll be able to stick your scientific reports in the same hole the light saving bulbs will end up.

perfumedlife · 12/10/2011 01:48

Brilliantly put aurynne Smile

Nevertooearlyforcake · 12/10/2011 02:34

I'm curious - is anyone complaining about light quality using a biobulb? If so, I really don't understand it as it's far superior to any other bulb I've ever used.

Pudden · 12/10/2011 08:42

I have biobulbs and I wouldn't go back to using ordinary energy efficient ones- the light quality is brilliant- literally!

You can get cheaper ones from Ebay

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAYLIGHT-6400K-LOW-ENERGY-LIGHT-BULB-BC-11W-60w-SAD-/330616746417?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&hash=item4cfa4b31b1

Peachy · 12/10/2011 09:20

Rebel absolutely

But most people don't nkow that retailers- and certainly locally poundland is one- that display weee signs will take them back.

Have yet to try biobulbs, will try. I think for me teh deciding factor on EE bulbs is that I have norerline eyesight anyway, a research-heavy study field (so need lots of light to read with) and migraines. As a package I am keen on halogens.

Peachy · 12/10/2011 09:25

Aurynne bang on

We have this weird hobby, we build carnivals carts. We use about 30k bulbs on each one. Quite a few of the bulbs (none facing me after I had a migraine and lost 2 hours last year!) are EE. How bright the float is depends so much on temperature: pics taken in the warmth of 2 weeks ago will bear little resemblance to those taken in early December when we hope to be above freezing if we are lucky. This is not theory or conjecture- DH knew to expect this when we went over because he was taught that at university, it's a known downside. Not just that- other factors too- but that is the most relevant to domestic users.

DumSpiroSpero · 12/10/2011 09:27

YADNBU! They are possibly the most hideous things ever invented.

We have lovely wall lights in our sitting room but as they are on a dimmer we can't use energy saving bulbs, so DH insists on having the energy efficient ceiling lights on instead - as if ceiling lights aren't bad enough in the first place Angry!

I have a halogen lamp next to where I sit and spend a lot of time elsewhere...

aldiwhore · 12/10/2011 09:28

I only use them in rooms where I don't need to see much at all.

Will definitely look into biobulbs, are they compatible with standard bayonet fittings? We rent so we're stuck with the fittings we've got.

I am guilty of using 100w bulbs in the kitchen... I have a few stockpiled!

WorkingItOutAsIGo · 12/10/2011 09:30

What are biobulbs? looked at the link but wasnt clear what makes something a biobulb

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