All thanks to the EU

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....rs-174-cent-year.html

The EU legislation in 2009 made it illegal to make pearl bulbs in the UK or import them from abroad, although the clear bulbs are not banned because energy­ saving bulbs fail to reproduce the dazzling light they emit.

/// But under a voluntary agreement which came into effect this month, chains including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, B&Q and Asda have agreed to stop selling traditional bulbs altogether. ///

Do you miss the bright light of the old style bulb, or do you think the small amount of energy saving and the increase cost of the new type bulb, is well worth the sacrifice?

[boxtops]

I'd rather have back the old bulbs - my eye's not that good as it is.

[DrFilth]

same here

[ChuckFickens]

Is a 80% energy saving small then?

[Jemisa]

Here Here Boxi - Bloody EU rules.

jem

[Anlyn]

Another blatant rip off courtesy of ridiculous EU legislation forced upon us by unelected self serving bureaucrats. These bulbs were initially given away for free to every household in a hugely expensive promotion, then conventional bulbs were outlawed. Since then the cost of these 'superior' bulbs has risen by up to 174% in the last year.
http://www.dailymail....ars-174-cent-year.htm

[vulcan]

One of the things I received for Christmas was an energy usage monitor. This is quite a sophisticated piece of kit and gives different readings, consumption,
cost etc. The difference between an old style 40 watt bulb and an equivalent new type means I now save .280 pence per hour.

[boxtops]

woo, a penny every four hours! I didn't realise that the saving with the new bulbs was quite so - er - small...

[vulcan]

exactly boxtops, con comes to mind.

[ChuckFickens]

40 watt bulb = 0.04KW/h which at a cost of 13p per KW/h = 0.52pence per hour.

8 watt bulb = 0.008KW/h at a cost of 13p per KW/h = 0.104pence per hour

0.52 - 0.104 = 0.416pence saving.

Multiply that by the amount of bulbs you have and how many hours a year you run them and it's a significant saving.

[Anlyn]

Include the cost of the bulbs though, 60W conventional bulb was .60p?
According to the link provided here an energy saving alternative can be up to £5.00 !
Do the maths again.

[ChuckFickens]

in my front room I'd typically be running 3 * 8 watt bulbs for about 6 hours a day at this time of year.

(3*0.416)*7 = 8.736pence a day

8.73600*365 = 3188.64Pence a year.

£31.88 saving over a year for just one small room.

[ChuckFickens]

I've never actually paid for an energy saving bulb, I'm still using the free ones from about 6 years ago

But they typically cost £3, so if a "normal" bulb cost £0.60....

Energy saving bulbs have a life span of about 10000 hours, "normal" bulbs about 1000 hours....

3/10000 = 0.0003 pence per hour for energy saving bulbs

0.60/1000=0.0006 pence per hour for "normal" bulbs

I'll keep doing the maths if you want

[Anlyn]

My point is the over inflated price we are demanded to pay for the only bulbs now available. This is to pay for the big push when the government was giving them away. And we had no say in the matter. It's a con.

[ChuckFickens]

Yes, the EU are conning you into saving money in both the long term costs of buying bulbs and running them, how dare they.

[DrFilth]

i have been waiting for someone to post on how long these new bulbs last

the new one lasted less than a year put another one in ( think it says 5 years on box ) that lasted around 1 year

still have an old bulb on the stairs that must be around 20 years old :)

[Anlyn]

I have a 40W candle bulb in the bathroom that must be a similar age, they just go on forever!

[anotheoldgit]

/// Yes, the EU are conning you into saving money in both the long term costs of buying bulbs and running them, how dare they. ///

Yes how dare they for not giving us the choice of using the old bulb at their original low cost, their immediate full illumination, and a light that is much brighter than the candle glow we get from the new ones, how dare they.

[Old_Geezer]

This subject has been discussed many times. IMO it is a perfect example of how those in power impose on the rest against their will for no justification. You don't get anything like 80% energy saving. That would imply all power to a candescent bulb that was not converted to light, was wasted. which is obviously not so. What heat you don't supply from the bulb you have to supply from your boiler. I have concluded this can only be an ego boost exercise for those who can impose their will. I've yet to find a better explanation.

[ChuckFickens]

So sticking with a 40watt bulb then...

Old style bulbs are typically 10% efficient in light output, 90% of power used is "wasted" as heat.

So if you are using a bulb for one hour you are putting 30watts of heat into the room as heat at a typical cost of 13pence per KH/h in electricity which will cost you 0.39pence.

Gas costs approximately 4pence per KW/h so that 30watts of heat for an hour would cost you .12pence in gas.

So your supposed saving in gas for the negligible amount of heat would be 0.12pence but it's going to cost you 0.39pence in electricity to save that gas.

I spot a flaw in your statement.

[ChuckFickens]

36watts wasted in heat even... but you get the idea.