Low wattage light bulbs
Posted by: bob atherton on 10 January 2009
I am trying to find low wattage light bulbs that are near as damn it a direct replacement for standard bulbs. The problem is that all low wattage ones I have tried have a number of drawbacks. These are really just three.
1 They can be prone to flicker and I am very sensitive to any flickering lights including fluorescent.
2 They have a greenish hue to the light that makes me feel ill even when I’m fine.
3 They take a few minutes to get up to full output.
The greenish hue I have got round by spraying the bulbs with a fine mist of magenta coloured car primer. Just a touch is all that is needed but it does cancel out the mortuary slab ambience that they have before modification. That still leaves problems 1 & 3.
I sincerely want to do my bit for the planet and keep running costs down but my emotional well being is being put ahead of these priorities at the moment.
I must confess I have not researched or tried any LED lights. Is there an LED replacement for an old fashioned light bulb and if so does it have similar issues to the low wattage variety.
I think this is an issue that we will all have to address as the UK and I believe European governments are phasing out higher wattage standard bubs.
1 They can be prone to flicker and I am very sensitive to any flickering lights including fluorescent.
2 They have a greenish hue to the light that makes me feel ill even when I’m fine.
3 They take a few minutes to get up to full output.
The greenish hue I have got round by spraying the bulbs with a fine mist of magenta coloured car primer. Just a touch is all that is needed but it does cancel out the mortuary slab ambience that they have before modification. That still leaves problems 1 & 3.
I sincerely want to do my bit for the planet and keep running costs down but my emotional well being is being put ahead of these priorities at the moment.
I must confess I have not researched or tried any LED lights. Is there an LED replacement for an old fashioned light bulb and if so does it have similar issues to the low wattage variety.
I think this is an issue that we will all have to address as the UK and I believe European governments are phasing out higher wattage standard bubs.
We use BioBulbs throughout 555 acres, except for halogen ceiling lights.
he BioBulb is a full spectrum daylight bulb that uses 75% less energy than a standard light bulb. The BioBulb 100w (using 25w) bulb issues a massive 1750 lumens (a lumen is a way of measuring natural light, and a standard 60w bulb only manages 600 lumens, so that's over three times as much) and closely replicates sunlight, which may improve mood, nighttime sleep and daytime energy. Anyone prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or who simply longs for summer may find that its flicker-free white light helps to restore their natural equilibrium. They are ideal for reading and most pleasing to the eye. Our BioBulb also radiates less heat than a standard bulb and lasts around 10,000 hours, or seven years.
They do take 2 minutes to get to full brightness, but they are bright & daylight colour temperature instantly.
In the kitchen, hall & WC there are ceiling lights which had halogen bulbs in when we moved in.
We swapped them for these ...
A replacement for GU10 mains halogen lamps, these energy savers use around 80% less energy than a standard halogen GU10 and last up to 8 times longer. Gives similar light output to a 55W halogen GU10 but uses only 11W of electricity and generates dramatically less heat. Wide flood beam for even light distribution. Daylight version with extra-white light.NOTE: These are slightly longer than standard GU10s so please check whether the fitting can accommodate the extra length.
They were the right size for our light fittings.
We opted for the daylight colour temp' version,
but these do take a couple of minutes to get to full brightness.
I've not noticed any flicker with either of these bulb types.
he BioBulb is a full spectrum daylight bulb that uses 75% less energy than a standard light bulb. The BioBulb 100w (using 25w) bulb issues a massive 1750 lumens (a lumen is a way of measuring natural light, and a standard 60w bulb only manages 600 lumens, so that's over three times as much) and closely replicates sunlight, which may improve mood, nighttime sleep and daytime energy. Anyone prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or who simply longs for summer may find that its flicker-free white light helps to restore their natural equilibrium. They are ideal for reading and most pleasing to the eye. Our BioBulb also radiates less heat than a standard bulb and lasts around 10,000 hours, or seven years.
They do take 2 minutes to get to full brightness, but they are bright & daylight colour temperature instantly.
In the kitchen, hall & WC there are ceiling lights which had halogen bulbs in when we moved in.
We swapped them for these ...
A replacement for GU10 mains halogen lamps, these energy savers use around 80% less energy than a standard halogen GU10 and last up to 8 times longer. Gives similar light output to a 55W halogen GU10 but uses only 11W of electricity and generates dramatically less heat. Wide flood beam for even light distribution. Daylight version with extra-white light.NOTE: These are slightly longer than standard GU10s so please check whether the fitting can accommodate the extra length.
They were the right size for our light fittings.
We opted for the daylight colour temp' version,
but these do take a couple of minutes to get to full brightness.
I've not noticed any flicker with either of these bulb types.
quote:Originally posted by avole:
A large number of hotels, offices, shops and other public buildings have also swapped over, and no-one to my knowledge cas complained, if they noticed at all. Just what is all the fuss about?
Part of the problem (for me at least) is the dramatic difference in performance between different CFLs. In our living room we had 3 different CFLs, of which only one produces what I would consider close to a reasonable light. I replaced the worst performing of the three with an Incandescent from my set of spares (Sad as it is that I keep replacements for all the types of bulbs around the house - yes even the special ones in the cooker hood). Net result is I no longer need to retreat to the kitchen to read the paper.
Most of the lights in the house are MR16 halogen types and will eventually be replaced with LED based models. I'm in no rush as there's a lot of research going on there e.g. holes in the diode increasing light output and of course I have a stock of spares (different wattage and angle) to use up. Anyway if I did replace all my bulbs with low energy ones I'd probably have to replace my central heating boiler with a higher output one, or maybe buy some valve amps, to keep the house warm
The other problem with CFLs, that's rarely mentioned, is what they do to the mains. They are not a simple resistive load like incandescents and can significantly affect the power factor. Ask any architect involved in the design of one of those hotels/offices/shops.
Willy.
You'll need to sell them to pay your electricity bill! 