Energy saving Lightbulbs

[lucky884]

A friend said that when they replaced all their bulbs with the energy saving bulbs, they could no longer get any reception on their radio!

In my old house I had one of these bulbs and whenever I switched it off it would flash intermittently.

Anyone else have any experiences like this and can anyone suggest what is going on?

[kasalt]

A friend said that when they replaced all their bulbs with the energy saving bulbs, they could no longer get any reception on their radio!

In my old house I had one of these bulbs and whenever I switched it off it would flash intermittently.

Anyone else have any experiences like this and can anyone suggest what is going on?

Sounds like you are referring to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Your problem might have been caused by high humidity. Humidity, whether indoors or outdoors, will ruin them quickly. Also, they cannot be used with dimmer switches of any kind--that will ruin them too. Or it may have simply been a defective bulb.

There are a number of pluses and minuses to be weighed in the balance when it comes to CFLs. CFLs can interfere with DSL internet modem reception as well as interfering with radio reception. They also contain mercury, which means that they should be taken to a recycling center when they quit working, rather than simply being thrown into the trash. The new CFLs are bing made with lower levels of mercury, which is good, but the down-side of that is that it takes them a minute or so to reach full brightness.

I've replaced most of our bulbs with CFLs and noticed a significant reduction in the utility bill, which I like, and I haven't experienced any radio or internet interference from them so far. All in all, I guess it's a bit of a trade-off. You just have to decide if it's worth it for you.

[steevo]

Fluorescent Lamp
A form of lighting which creates light by exposing a conductive vapor to electrical current. The common fluorescent tube used in commercial and household lighting fixtures uses mercury vapor as the conductor. The electrified mercury vapor doesn't actually produce visible light. Instead, it produces ultraviolet light which is converted to visible light by a thin coating applied to the inside of the tube. "Black light" tubes (special-effects lamps which appear to make white objects glow) are created by using a different coating on the inside of the tube that allows more ultraviolet light to pass through.

These lamps are far more energy efficient than standard incandescent lighting since they convert far less electrical energy into heat, but this efficiency is offset by higher cost, especially for smaller household lamps.

Fluorescent lighting can benefit from the use of a device called a ballast which insures steady current flow through the tube. Ballasts contribute to longer tube life by reducing stresses on the tube from rapid changes in power flow. Fluorescent lighting also requires careful monitoring and regular replacement, since some types of tubes emit low levels of x-ray radiation after a period of use at the end points of the tube where the inner coating first begins to wear thin. :eek:

[madthumbs]

You can grow marijuana with LED's (http://opposingdigits.com/vlog/?p=593). I think LED's are the future.

[kasalt]

You can grow marijuana with LED's (http://opposingdigits.com/vlog/?p=593). I think LED's are the future.

I had no idea that LEDs could be used as grow lights for plants! That's great news, thanks for posting. I'm sure LEDs are the future. Here are some snippets from news articles on the subject:

[LED] bulbs, though, are "green," in the best way: they're energy-saving, mercury-free, emit very little heat and no UV, can fit into standard fixtures and be put on a dimmer. Unlike the 900-hour incandescents, there are no filaments that can be damaged by shock or vibration and an LED can last 35,000 hours. That translates to about 16 years of six-hours of light each night without changing a bulb. - http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_8417088

What signaled the incoming dominancy of LED lighting was this year's MacWorld expo in San Francisco last month. For the past few years, the annual event of Apple has introduced a number of industry-inspiring products such as the iPod and iPhone. This year, what Apple CEO Steve Jobs came up with in his keynote speech was an ultra-thin laptop PC called MacBook Air, which uses an LED-backlit screen.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/img/tech/080219_p14_envir1.jpg

Last November, a southern Italian village of Torraca proclaimed itself as the world's first ``LED city.'' The town installed 700 LED street lamps that are powered by photovoltaic panels, making it a self-sustainable system.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/img/tech/080219_p14_envir2.jpg

South Korean towns and regional governments are fast catching up. Along with many other towns, Bucheon city has replaced its old halogen street lamps on the city hall plaza with Fawoo's LED bulbs. The new lamps have six times the life expectancy of halogen lamps, and consume about 28,000 won of electricity per year, compared to 85,000 won. Such a low maintenance cost, the firm says, is enough to offset the hefty price of 160,000 won per lamp in a few years, compared to 40,000 won of halogen lamps.

The only problem with LEDs is price. According to Lee of Samsung, an LED light bulb is priced at around 30,000 won, about six times the price of fluorescent bulbs.

"The economies of scale can lower the price," said Lee Jun-ho, public relations manager of Samsung Electro-Mechanics. "We will start to have cost-efficient LED light bulbs from this year that can match the economy of fluorescent bulbs."

- http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/tech_view.asp?newsIdx=19138&categoryCode=133

[xxxx]

i watched a tv show that had an old man on it who said that energy saving lightbulbs made his remote control stop working. spooky.

[free_soul]

A friend said that when they replaced all their bulbs with the energy saving bulbs, they could no longer get any reception on their radio!

In my old house I had one of these bulbs and whenever I switched it off it would flash intermittently.

Anyone else have any experiences like this and can anyone suggest what is going on?

we have one in the bedroom that always flashes :P freaked me out atr first lmao

[exmicrochipmafia]

Interesting this topic should arise.
On the news (here in Canada) just the other night, they did a study on these light bulbs and found them to be 'disturbing' psychologically to a large number of people who use them.

......the plot thickens.

[lookfar]

I really get a bad vibe off of these things & the light they produce is disturbing imo:eek: I have one in the lounge & never use it (use the wall lights or lamp instead). I'm also stocking up a bit on the normal bulbs as they're soon gonna be taken off the shelves as I don't wanna be forced to use these shitty things. I'm all for saving energy, but not when they're detrimental to health.

There was another thread on here a while back with lots of interesting info on it - I'll see if I can locate it & bump it up....

[milone]

Also in Ontario the governemnt has toyed with the idea of eventually making these "new" light bulbs mandatory in every household. WTF??? They contain mercury for fuck sakes. MERCURY!! It say so right on the box. they aslo are known to explode all on their own and cause fires. There is something far more sinister behind all this then just the government's best intentions to "save energy". I mean think about how much energy are they fucking saving??? Go after industry, the military or big agriculture if u really want to save energy and leave us alone with our bloody light bulbs. On an other note a co-worker of mine claims they give him migraines. As soon as he got rid of all of them in his house the headaches stopped.

[kasalt]

I just saw this on the Latest Headlines page:

Monday, 16 June 2008
Important information about 'energy-saving' lightbulbs

These are the bulbs they want to make compulsory. Unbelievable.

A must-see.

Click here to watch ...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg

The alternative to CFLs is LEDs. The only problem is that LEDs are currently too expensive for most people to afford, but the prices will come down to more affordable levels as the technology improves. My advice to anyone who is still using incandescents is to hold off until you can afford to buy LED lightbulbs. I just bought a few LED lightbulbs for the dining room and they work wonderfully.

http://www.earthled.com/whyled.html

Why LED?

Environmentally Friendly by Design

EarthLEDs are the most environmentally friendly light source other than pure sunlight. First, there are no hazardous substances used inside EarthLEDs. All of our products are RoHS compliant (a strict new standard reducing hazardous substances). You've probably heard a lot about Compact Florescent Bulbs or CFL. These have been touted as a solution to the inefficiencies of incandescent yet they are all made with mercury, thus they are hardly an environmentally sound solution after all.

Second, EarthLEDs are part of the solution to the energy crisis we are all facing. EarthLEDs use less power up front and generate less heat when used. Replacing all of your lighting with EarthLEDs will suddenly make your home or building an environmentally friendly structure.

Finally, with the long life you will achieve from your EarthLED bulb, you will save on the disposal of approximately 50 incandescent bulbs and 5 mercury tainted, compact fluorescent bulbs thus cleaning up our landfills and ultimately saving our environment from waste.

http://www.earthled.com/i/evolux_sc_dual.jpg

See here for more info:

http://www.earthled.com

[steevo]

I agree Kasalt. I have quite alot of LED bulbs and they work great. There are alot of rubbish LED bulbs out there though.

[lookfar]

Good vid there kasalt, I forget to check the headlines page so wouldn't have gotten to see that. Thanks for sharing:)

I've not seen the LED bulbs but might check some out & see what they're like. Steevo can you recommend a good brand to try please?:)

[pandamania]

Start stockpiling incandesent bulbs. You can buy them at bargin prices right now. I have many years worth.

I have an old fashioned light bulb in my house which has worked everyday since 1997. It's a Phillips 100watt which I bought for 60 Irish pence.

There is no problem with old bulbs. The whole CFC thing is a total scam. The Green Movement is a fraud. Nothing to do with environmentalism. If you vote for Green Party Candidates you are voting for manipulation.

I REPEAT

Start stockpiling incandesent bulbs. You can buy them at bargin prices right now.

[lookfar]

Start stockpiling incandesent bulbs. You can buy them at bargin prices right now. I have many years worth.

I have an old fashioned light bulb in my house which has worked everyday since 1997. It's a Phillips 100watt which I bought for 60 Irish pence.

There is no problem with old bulbs. The whole CFC thing is a total scam. The Green Movement is a fraud. Nothing to do with environmentalism. If you vote for Green Party Candidates you are voting for manipulation.

I REPEAT

Start stockpiling incandesent bulbs. You can buy them at bargin prices right now.

Yeah I agree & have already begun stockpiling some. Shops are reducing the cost of them already to make more room for these yucky mercury filled ones.

[graflok]

Yes, buy regular bulbs. Get rid of the the CFLs. If they outlaw regular bulbs
I will use camping lanterns, candles, anything other than those damn things ...

[psych641]

CFLs contain an electronic ballast, this generates electro-magnetic radiation. If the unit isnt shielded very well, then it can broadcast across the frequencies that your equipment use - try holding a radio up near a lightbulb.

If a 20w discharge bulb is messing with your equipment, imagine what the 1000w ones on the high street must be emitting! :eek: hopefully their shielding is a bit better tho.

[psych641]

Incandescents are said to release more mercury into the environment that fluoros via the increased emissions from the powerstations that run them.

The dodgy wiring in this flat pops incandescents in weeks anyway.
Combine that the poverty trap & increased leccy prices im keeping my CFLs running for the time being. LEDs sound good, & i wouldnt mind paying if theyll go the stated distance, but ive heard the clusters for sale atm burn out quickly (they get killed by their own heat).

[h2pogo]

yes indeed incandescent light bulbs contain a considerable amount of mercury and should carry a health warning.
i didn't believe it until an electrician Friend had one go pop on him and seriously scarred his hand ,lucky was just his hand.
there is no warning at present.
mercury is not good for the environment at all.
yet another green scam

[psych641]

yes indeed incandescent light bulbs contain a considerable amount of mercury and should carry a health warning.

What i mean is, running the incandescents requires more energy, the production of energy at the power stations is a major point at which mercury is released into the atmosphere.

If you run a CFL until it dies & then smash the bulb, supposedly you have released less mercury into the environment than by running the higher-wattage/lower-mercury incandescent over the same time-frame. iyswim.

[steevo]

Good vid there kasalt, I forget to check the headlines page so wouldn't have gotten to see that. Thanks for sharing:)

I've not seen the LED bulbs but might check some out & see what they're like. Steevo can you recommend a good brand to try please?:)

These are the ones that I bought Lookfar, they sell them in other amounts (see his other items for sale) :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-PACK-HIGH-POWER-60-LED-GU10-BULB-WARM-WHITE_W0QQitemZ320262621459QQihZ011QQcategoryZ2070 6QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This is their website :-
http://www.futureleds.com

They are sent from the Republic of Ireland. They are available in Day White light or Warm White light. I got the warm white ones and they work great. But I have to say that when I ordered the second lot the light was slightly more yellow and I didnt like them as much as the first batch but they are still good. Maybe the first lot that I ordered, he might have accidently sent me Day White ones by mistake I dont know. They only use something like 1.7 watts of power.

The bulbs are a GU10 connection which fit some light fittings that were made to be used with GU10 halogen bulbs. I had to buy light fittings from ebay that fit the bulbs (a stand alone floor lamp and a desk lamp) because these types of lamps are rare now, maybe because those halogen bulbs, which they were designed for, use alot of power and they are becoming very unfashionable now with the rising cost of electricity and the climate change scam.

The good thing about my bulbs is that they use hardly any power but are pretty bright and can be used for long periods when attached to a car battery along with an inverter during power cuts.

I wouldnt bother buying LED bulbs from Maplin or B&Q cos they are crap, in fact I havent come across any shop that sells decent LED bulbs yet.

[pandamania]

The good thing about my bulbs is that they use hardly any power but are pretty bright and can be used for long periods when attached to a car battery along with an inverter during power cuts.

I wouldnt bother buying LED bulbs from Maplin or B&Q cos they are crap, in fact I havent come across any shop that sells decent LED bulbs yet.

Good info there steve-o and cheers. When the incadescents go I am switching to LEDs. More natural light and less creepy. I am glad to see real alternative in the LED bulb market as the ones I have seen today were complete rubbish with no "throw" and there is no reason for this as high-powered white LEDs have been around for about a decade now.

[lookfar]

These are the ones that I bought Lookfar, they sell them in other amounts (see his other items for sale) :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-PACK-HIGH-POWER-60-LED-GU10-BULB-WARM-WHITE_W0QQitemZ320262621459QQihZ011QQcategoryZ2070 6QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This is their website :-
http://www.futureleds.com

They are sent from the Republic of Ireland. They are available in Day White light or Warm White light. I got the warm white ones and they work great. But I have to say that when I ordered the second lot the light was slightly more yellow and I didnt like them as much as the first batch but they are still good. Maybe the first lot that I ordered, he might have accidently sent me Day White ones by mistake I dont know. They only use something like 1.7 watts of power.

The bulbs are a GU10 connection which fit some light fittings that were made to be used with GU10 halogen bulbs. I had to buy light fittings from ebay that fit the bulbs (a stand alone floor lamp and a desk lamp) because these types of lamps are rare now, maybe because those halogen bulbs, which they were designed for, use alot of power and they are becoming very unfashionable now with the rising cost of electricity and the climate change scam.

The good thing about my bulbs is that they use hardly any power but are pretty bright and can be used for long periods when attached to a car battery along with an inverter during power cuts.

I wouldnt bother buying LED bulbs from Maplin or B&Q cos they are crap, in fact I havent come across any shop that sells decent LED bulbs yet.

Thanks honey, I'll check out that link & will steer clear of B&Q etc....:)

[kasalt]

This is where I bought mine:

http://store.earthled.com/collections/all

[accuracy]

What a great thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An excellent input here by everyone:):)

[lucky884]

What a great thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An excellent input here by everyone:):)

Agreed - thanks everyone.