Light bulb ban

andrewlownie101 · 11-10-2008 10:24AM

Blisterman wrote: »

Personally I think a tax is a much more feasible option than a ban. Have a tax, equal to the cost of offsetting the carbon emmited in the lifetime of the bulb, and then let people choose if the extra cost is worth it.

They really have done a job on you.

I have a save the whale foundation, would you care to donate?

Hagar · 11-10-2008 10:38AM

The new CFL bulbs aren't worth shít on stairs, they don't reach max output until you fall over at least one step.

11-10-2008 10:39AM

Any taxes raised by a "lamp duty" can be used to support the poor impoverished property developers & bankers that are now facing the real prospect of having to give up their helecopters & yachts.

11-10-2008 10:42AM

Hagar wrote: »

The new CFL bulbs aren't worth shít on stairs, they don't reach max output until you fall over at least one step.

True, cfl's are best used in rooms that need light for long periods of time, not "dump & legget" places

j1smithy · 11-10-2008 11:03AM

The_Minister wrote: »

+1,000,000,000,000,000

Try reading with them - it's agony.

The reason they hurt your eyes is that while a traditional lightbulb emits a constant stream of light, CFLs flicker constantly, just too fast for you to see. As they get older, the flicker slows down, which, while still too fast to be concious of, is slow enough to hurt your eyes.

So does an incandescent lightbulb. the same ampont too, they both flicker 100 times a second. In fact CRT tvs flicker for the samer reason too, power supply at 50Hz

Wertz · 11-10-2008 11:14AM

buynow wrote: »

I think I have been in your taxi

A kindred spirit's perhaps, but not mine...I'd sooner sweep the streets than ferry around drunks.
Allow me to expand on my earlier post...I live in a small enough house and am out at work most of the time. In the evening and at night bulbs will be on in a room for an hour or so...kitchen before I got to work and when I get in, bathroom then sitting room and then bedroom. I'm not one of these people who have to have every single light burning in the whole house throughout the hours of darkness, I'm pretty fastidious about switching lights on and off after me. For this reason alone CFLs are a useless addition to my home, since most of the energy they consume is at start up. Most of my bulbs are on dimmers too which as Sparky mentioned have issues with CFL.
It's my electricity bill, I don't expect the government to pay it to to give me a grant towards it...my responsibility. With prices how they are and how they are set to increase I'm already as frugal as I can be with my electricity use...I don't see why I should be dictated to by a barmy old fool like Gormley and his ilk. This kind of bullsh*t legislation is reactionary nonsense that hasn't been thought through for longer than it took to sip a latté over...himself and Ryan can spout all the green manifesto sh*te they want...I was reading about global warming whilst they were still clamouring for places in their local council. All of a sudden when the bandwagon rolls around in the early 90's these clowns come down out of their treehouses and start trying to tell people how to live. I can't wait for my local councillor slash wannabe green party TD to call for the local elections...I'll delight in telling him where to go.
Roll on 4 years so we can get shot of the lot of 'em. **** of the highest order.

Run_to_da_hills · 11-10-2008 11:14AM

Deleted User wrote: »

True, cfl's are best used in rooms that need light for long periods of time, not "dump & legget" places

CFL or Fluorescent lighting will use more power than a normal bulb while switched on over a very short period. So it is still more economical to still use incandescent lighting in apartment landings where time switches are used. Also continually switching on and off a CFL lamp will severely shorten its life span.

Capt'n Midnight · 11-10-2008 12:45PM

Hagar wrote: »

The new CFL bulbs aren't worth shít on stairs, they don't reach max output until you fall over at least one step.

put them in a sound activated socket , light comes on when you open the door

Capt'n Midnight · 11-10-2008 12:47PM

Blisterman wrote: »

Personally I think a tax is a much more feasible option than a ban. Have a tax, equal to the cost of offsetting the carbon emmited in the lifetime of the bulb, and then let people choose if the extra cost is worth it.

or maybe move the WEE tax
so you pay it on incandescents instead of CFL's

and the WEE is weird , in homebase you pay it once per BOX of CFL's but in superquin it's 50% of the cost of the generic ones

The_Minister · 11-10-2008 01:23PM

I posted the below before:

The thing that I hate about the Greens in government is how f*cking facist that are (yeah, I know its hyperbole, I mean authoritarian).

Look at toilets for instance. The Greens want to ban traditional toilets and replace them with environmental toilets. IMHO, they should take the liberal route and tax the ordinary toilets ntil they are the same price as the environmental ones (or subsidise the new ones - whatever - just achieve the same price). Then let people choose for themselves. All things being equal, people should choose the environmental ones, since generally people like being environmental. However, if people keep choosing the old toilets even when the prices are equal then there is obviously an issue to be addressed there, and that issue will never be addressed if the market is limited only to products that all contain that fault. The government should not force people to buy products that they consider to be of lesser quality/usefulness.

Make the prices (roughly) equal and then give people the freedom to choose.
/End PD rant

I feel the same on the lightbulb ban.

Except that that is, tbh, incredibly authoritarian.

When a government bans something, it is saying that mature, legally-competants adults are forbidden to have this product, because presumably, the product is so dangerous that for them to have it would cause untold harm.

We are talking about lightbulbs.

What right has the government to say that I, as a citizen of voting age, cannot have a particular brand of lightbulb? Are tungsten lightbulbs so dangerous, so deadly, that I as a logical, balanced individual must be denied them?

And, tbh, while intelligent, value-conscious adults like you and me may realise that the new bulbs are cheaper in the long run, most people only look at the price on the receipt. It's psycology.

A tax is the way.

Captain Darling · 11-10-2008 01:47PM

I think the biggest joke about this is that the Government want us to pay more for fcuking bulbs just as we are heading into the biggest recession we've had in years. Typical bullsh1t from a clueless government.

Sorry for bringing the 'R' word into the thread.

parsi · 11-10-2008 04:13PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

put them in a sound activated socket , light comes on when you open the door

.. or the thud when Hagar falls..

ART6 · 11-10-2008 04:47PM

j1smithy wrote: »

So does an incandescent lightbulb. the same ampont too, they both flicker 100 times a second. In fact CRT tvs flicker for the samer reason too, power supply at 50Hz

The difference is that an incandescent bulb doesn't flicker when the current cycles because the tungsten filament is white hot and can't cool down that quickly. CFLs are not hot.

This can be a problem with flourescents in machine shops, where the flickering af a flourescent tube can have a stroboscopic effect that can make a machine tool appear to be slow or stationary when it's not. That's why lathes etc have tungsten lights fitted to them.

Tigger · 11-10-2008 05:05PM

ART6 wrote: »

The difference is that an incandescent bulb doesn't flicker when the current cycles because the tungsten filament is white hot and can't cool down that quickly.

thank you for the sanity

11-10-2008 05:23PM

parsi wrote: »

.. or the thud when Hagar falls..

no, that's the tripwire attached to the switch!

CtrlSource · 11-10-2008 05:31PM

i have some concerns about this which i plan to voice at my local constituency meeting this coming week.

Will 500 / 1000W floodlight bulbs be banned (the ones used for security outside buildings)?

What about spot lights and other smaller bulbs that are commonly used in kitchen / bathroom ceiling lights?

Someone mentioned candle shaped decorative bulbs that are used in chandaliers. Are they included in this ban? (madness if they are).

Also interested to hear about the mercury issue and safe recycling of CFL bulbs. i'm all for energy saving, but am not yet sold on the need for a ban

11-10-2008 05:51PM

My understanding is that they will initially ban all above 60W early next year, then gradually phase out lower wattage ones later!

Now watt to replace 500W security lamps with (especially those PIR activated ones)

ART6 · 11-10-2008 06:13PM

Tigger wrote: »

thank you for the sanity

Thank you too. I begin to wonder if common sense has deserted the Green party (or was it ever there?)

CtrlSource wrote: »

Will 500 / 1000W floodlight bulbs be banned (the ones used for security outside buildings)?

There are energy saving alternatives. They just take sufficient time to warm up for robbers to do what they have to do and get away.

Also interested to hear about the mercury issue and safe recycling of CFL bulbs. i'm all for energy saving, but am not yet sold on the need for a ban

All bulbs now have to be disposed of in compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive from the EU (aptly named WEEE). In my case, according to my county council, I should take them to a recycling centre that is eighteen miles away from my home. In the absence of any recogniseable public transport, I will drive my light bulb there and thereby benefit the environment.

Deleted User wrote: »

My understanding is that they will initially ban all above 60W early next year, then gradually phase out lower wattage ones later!
Now watt to replace 500W security lamps with (especially those PIR activated ones)

PIR won't work because by the time the lamp decides to light whatever initiates it will be gone.

On an entirely different issue, every time I try to separate the quotes and insert my comments, the quotes are hidden in a grey fill. Is Gorgeous Gormley on to me?

11-10-2008 06:35PM

ART6 wrote: »

PIR won't work because by the time the lamp decides to light whatever initiates it will be gone.

Exactly, what do re use instead, apart from mantraps - but they ain't green either...

Tar.Aldarion · 11-10-2008 06:40PM

don't mind, the one I am sitting under is damn bright and has lasted longer than all the other normal bulbs in the house.

DublinWriter · 11-10-2008 07:14PM

ven0m wrote: »

My missus cannot use CFL's because of their 'flickering'...

Mine is the same, and so it the wife of a work collegue.

What is it with women and CFLs?

Ross_Mahon · 11-10-2008 07:41PM

'Energy-saving light bulbs can be bad for your skin, doctors are warning.

The fluorescent devices produce a more intense light and can aggravate a range of existing problems, especially in those with light-sensitive conditions.

Eco-bulbs are due to become compulsory in British homes within four years. But campaigners want the Government to allow an opt-out so people with health problems can still use old-style incandescent bulbs.

There have been growing concerns that low-energy light can trigger migraines, as well as dizziness, loss of focus and discomfort among those with epilepsy.

There have also been complaints from sufferers of lupus - an auto-immune disease causing many symptoms including pain.'

Will these Environmentally friendly light bulbs work out better for our bills?

Jesus Wept · 11-10-2008 08:06PM

I'm currently stockpiling. In 10 years time I shall be selling 'Nostalgia Bulbs' on ebay.

Get a free marathon bar when you purchase 3 Nostalgia/Classic Bulbs.

towel401 · 11-10-2008 11:50PM

The-Rigger wrote: »

I'm currently stockpiling. In 10 years time I shall be selling 'Nostalgia Bulbs' on ebay.

Get a free marathon bar when you purchase 3 Nostalgia/Classic Bulbs.

there will always be some factory in the backarse of china making them. legally or not

i think they should wait a while longer until there are decent LED bulbs around. most of them produce blue light or are not bright enough. they should have started with the low powered bulbs first.

cfl's suck btw

Dardania · 12-10-2008 05:15AM

So far, the best CFLs I've found are the ones by these guys:

http://www.megamanuk.com/products/product.php?sid=13

Non-flicker, dimmable, fits all types of lighting fittings (Ceiling roses, chandelaiers, kitchen spotlights - the works), long life & the output colour/colour rendering is pretty good.

True, they're pricey at maybe €12 - €14 a pop at any T O'Reillys but total cost of ownership is the name of the game, particularly as the cost of electricity is only going to increase.

I think the reason most people shun CFLs is because their only experiece of them in the past is those poxy, flickerry, noisy yokes that started coming out 10 years ago...by now the technology has matured immensely.

12-10-2008 06:28AM

Damn

What will happen when I have an idea now?

Overheal · 12-10-2008 07:00AM

The-Rigger wrote: »

I'm currently stockpiling. In 10 years time I shall be selling 'Nostalgia Bulbs' on ebay.

Get a free marathon bar when you purchase 3 Nostalgia/Classic Bulbs.

Why stockpile? why not just travel back in time and order a fresh crate?

12-10-2008 08:27AM

towel401 wrote: »

there will always be some factory in the backarse of china making them. legally or not

Many third world nations will continue using incandescent bulbs for the foreseeable future, as the cost (of cfl's) to the end user is a sizeable part of their income.
So they will be available for many years to come.

fifth · 12-10-2008 01:25PM

I for one....

utick · 12-10-2008 02:59PM

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

This whole issue has absolutly nothing got to do with "light bulbs" Its all about power and supression.

is it a ban on the sale or the use of the light bulbs? if its just a ban on the selling of them surely people can stock up with a few hundred of them and they are set for life.

seems to be the way things are going these days, modern governments are becoming more and more like dictatorships

Light bulb ban

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