Ripped Off With Energy Saving Bulbs.

[anotheoldgit]

I recently had one of the old type 40w round opaque bulb blow in one of my chandeliers.

I was then in for quite a shock when trying to buy a replacement at my local DIY shop there was a whole aisle set aside for light bulbs all completely alien to me in styles, small threaded, large threaded, bayonet halogen, LED, Energy-Saving etc.

But could I find the once cheap standard round bulb? no, the nearest I could get was a round, clear halogen bulb 42w (traditional 55w) 630 Lumens????????????

And they don't come cheap £5 each, and of course that made all the rest of the bulbs in the chandelier obsolete, so I had to replace all of them, wow how we are being ripped off once again.

[dannyk13]

Bear in mind the average life of energy saving bulbs is about 12 years.

[dave50]

Anything to do with energy saving/environmentally friendly/carbon footprint etc is a rip off and I try to avoid any product that makes any of these claims.

[Zacs-Master]

Changing just one lamp will look very strange. I would look for an electrical wholesalers or lighting shop and take in the lamp you're trying to replace. They're usually very helpful and often cheaper than big retail stores.

[maggiebee]

Think you could have bought one of the old type bulbs at a cheepo shop like Poundstretcher but as Danny has said, the new types are cheaper in the long run.

[tonyav]

Was your blown bulb what they call Golf Ball, aog ?.
You can still get them ( on line ).
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Golf-Opal-Round-Ball-Light-Bulb-25W-40W-60W-Cap-Fittings-SES-SBC-ES-BC-/301488812157?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item463222307d

[paddywak]

If you've got a domestic supplies place near you have a look around it as most of them stock the "old"type of bulb it's just that they have to be labeled as something else now such as "Industrial" or "heavy Duty"

[Old_Geezer]

Somehow I doubt this average life quote. Or else I've been unlucky. Maybe it's a interpolated figure from laboratory conditions.

Any old style incandescent bulbs one finds these days are very low quality versions that blow with a vengeance after a short while. Not a patch on the quality versions one used to get.

The whole thing was a con. Although I suspect it had more to do with politicians egos and need to look if not actually be "green" than any commercial gain.

Is LED a possibility for you ? I'm guessing they may have better longevity.

[dannyk13]

//Somehow I doubt this average life quote//
I have several bulbs that have already lasted more than 12years.

[ichkeria]

I am tempting fate here, but we have incandescent low energy chandelier bulbs and have scarcely replaced one since we got them
The downside is we are lulled into a false sense of security: we rarely think to have any replacements in stock as having one go is such a rarity

[maggiebee]

Maybe I've just been lucky OG but when I moved back into my house after having rented it out for a year I put energy saving bulbs in every light socket and they're still going strong. That was in 2003 so I reckon that's good value. On the other hand I have very small energy saving bulbs in my electric fire which seem to need replaced twice a year. Can't win every one.

[anotheoldgit]

tonyav

I think they must be the same, only a little cheaper at £4.59 a bulb.

[ivor4781]

you can get then on line no probs
http://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/product/General-Purpose-Lamps-Bulbs/Incandescent-GLS/c-2 .
40watt - 99p, i get 150 watt for some areas

[retrocop]

I find they are NOT longer lasting either. One set of wall lights have downward facing candle bulbs. They blow regularly. I was told that is because they should only face upwards. grrrrrr. I am expected to buy new wall lights to satisfy some conning European directive.

[Zacs-Master]

The marketplace is currently subject to a lot of cheap Chinese imports.

[Gromit]

The new bulb will use less than half the electricty of the old one and should last longer. So over the lifetime of the bulb you will save more than a £fivers worth of electricity.

If you half your electricity consumption for lighting, that means less electricity has to be generated, so less carbon emissions.

[ivor4781]

i should have said if you 8 of theses bulbs for instance with postage they work out at around £2 each still a lot cheaper and ive had no problems with life expectancy of around 2000 hrs at all.

[Mamyalynne]

I don't mind helping to lower emissions but I do mind not being able to read etc.

I have had to spend more on buying lamps to dot around the room when my pendant ceiling lights with 150 watt bulbs did the trick.

[ivor4781]

gromit, not always so i have 3 in a light fitting 28 watt halogen and they blow after around 700 hrs, bought from BHS

[EDDIE51]

My corner shop has the traditional bulbs in 40, 60 , 100 and 200 watt sizes , 59p to £1,25 each. They have loads of them.

[Sipowicz]

£5 each? I'd be incandescent with rage!