# Energy saver light bulbs



## Zapatista (5 Oct 2005)

Does anyone happen to know a good source for the above? I'm looking to buy, in bulk, replacements for all main tyes of ordinary bulbs, i.e. Fluorescent tubes, standard 40&60W, Halogen spots, etc. I'm willing to buy online if neccesary but this leads me to my next question. Are light bulbs standard in every country, i.e. if I got them from Taiwan, for example, would they comply with the relevant E.U. standards? 

One final question. I'm sure I have heard mention of a website that lists average prices for consumables in Ireland. Does anyone know of this site?

All help appreciated as always,

Zapa.


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## ClubMan (5 Oct 2005)

Zapatista said:
			
		

> Does anyone happen to know a good source for the above? I'm looking to buy, in bulk, replacements for all main tyes of ordinary bulbs, i.e. Fluorescent tubes, standard 40&60W, Halogen spots, etc. I'm willing to buy online if neccesary but this leads me to my next question. Are light bulbs standard in every country, i.e. if I got them from Taiwan, for example, would they comply with the relevant E.U. standards?


 are selling _CFLs _this Thursday in case that's of any use? Bear in mind that lighting costs might only be a fraction of your overall electricity bill so it might make more sense from a cost/benefit point of view to concentrate on other areas (e.g. heating/insulation etc.) first to get the best bang for your buck.



> One final question. I'm sure I have heard mention of a website that lists average prices for consumables in Ireland. Does anyone know of this site?


What sort of consumables?


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## Zapatista (5 Oct 2005)

Clubman,

You never cease to amaze me with your speedy replies. You are of course on the money with your suggestion in regards to Heating/Insulation and this is an area I am also looking into. When you say Aldi are selling them this Thursday do you mean it is a one time only event? 

By consumables I mean household items. I'm sure I saw reference to it on AAM before. It may be a Government sponsored site.

Zapa.


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## Zapatista (5 Oct 2005)

P.S. Can you shed any light on the issue relating to quality standards?


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## DrMoriarty (5 Oct 2005)

Zapatista said:
			
		

> By consumables I mean household items. I'm sure I saw reference to it on AAM before.


Would you be thinking of [broken link removed]?


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## Zapatista (5 Oct 2005)

Looks like it might be the one. Thanks Doc.


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## DrMoriarty (5 Oct 2005)

Whither a "light-bulb" smilie, administrators...?


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## ClubMan (5 Oct 2005)

_BestValueIreland.com_ is dead a good while now as far as I know. That link gives me a domain for sale type page right now. I think that the bloke who ran _BVI _jacked it in to pursue other activities. There's also ShoppingBill.com in case that's of any use?

The _Aldi CFL _offer is a special offer and not a standard price. For special offers you are as well off getting in as early as possible on the day in question if you want to secure the goods as they can sell out quickly. These offers are often repeated at a later date but you never know when.


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## DrMoriarty (5 Oct 2005)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> _BestValueIreland.com_ is dead a good while now as far as I know.


Sorry - pasted the link straight from my 'Favorites' (_sic_) without checking...

I'll be passing the Ennis branch of Aldi on the way to a match tomorrow evening, and will certainly stop in and (hopefully) pick up twice what I need.


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## ClubMan (5 Oct 2005)

Has anybody else found that _CFL's _take a long time to reach peak light emitting performance, can buzz a lot and also emit a very harsh light compared to standard tungsten (?) bulbs which seem warmer? I used them for a while but eventually switched back to standard bulbs. I'd love to save the environment but I like my comfort too...


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## z102 (5 Oct 2005)

Energy saving light bulbs should be  installed within 2 years of manufacturing.The manufacturing date must be stated on them, similar to the code on a car tire it would state the month and the year of manufacturing .
The light spectrum they give of is also stated on the package . Some have a more " whitish " and others a more " blueish " spectrum . I don't know the relevant code numbers , check the manufacturers home pages , Osram for example , these numbers are standardised . As far as I know there are 5 different tones of light available. 
There is no  " one shoe fits all " bulb , the tungstens are wellingtons compared to modern illumination (smiley ) .


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## DrMoriarty (5 Oct 2005)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Has anybody else found that _CFL's _take a long time to reach peak light emitting performance, can buzz a lot and also emit a very harsh light compared to standard tungsten (?) bulbs which seem warmer?


...Yep. You also can't use them with dimmer switches, and tbh I reckon they only really come into their own when used in the kind of lights that are left switched on for long periods of time - porch/hallway/outdoor lights, or the landing light that gets left on overnight, etc. I think I read somewhere that they use as much energy 'sparking up' each time as they consume in the subsequent hour or two...(?)

They also need judiciously coloured shading. Because they're usually priced the same whatever the voltage, I suppose we tend to stick in 11W (=150W output) CFLs where normally we'd be quite happy with an 40W or 60W tungsten bulb...


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## Diziet (6 Oct 2005)

DrMoriarty said:
			
		

> ...Yep. You also can't use them with dimmer switches, and tbh I reckon they only really come into their own when used in the kind of lights that are left switched on for long periods of time - porch/hallway/outdoor lights, or the landing light that gets left on overnight, etc. I think I read somewhere that they use as much energy 'sparking up' each time as they consume in the subsequent hour or two...(?)
> 
> They also need judiciously coloured shading. Because they're usually priced the same whatever the voltage, I suppose we tend to stick in 11W (=150W output) CFLs where normally we'd be quite happy with an 40W or 60W tungsten bulb...


 
The notion that they use as much energy 'sparking up' as they do in the first couple of hours comes from the older style fluorescent tubes and is not longer true. Actually it is no longer true for fluorescent tubes wither, as the starter design is way more efficient these days. 

I have found that the newer CFLs reach full brightess far quicker than the older ones (I have had one of these bulbs for 8 years and it is still going!). I will certainly be buying a few at Aldi.


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## Grumpy (6 Oct 2005)

Phillips do a "Softone" bulb.
Doesn`t have the harsh light of most of this type.


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## ClubMan (6 Oct 2005)

We use normal tungsten bulbs throughout with "frosted" low wattage bulbs for uplighters just to soften the output.


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## DrMoriarty (6 Oct 2005)

Diziet said:
			
		

> The notion that they use as much energy 'sparking up' as they do in the first couple of hours comes from the older style fluorescent tubes and is not longer true.


Thanks for the ...elucidation?


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## Diziet (6 Oct 2005)

DrMoriarty said:
			
		

> Thanks for the ...elucidation?


 
No problem Doc, now you can switch them on and off to your heart's content with a clear concience


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## Vanilla (6 Oct 2005)

These ones from Aldi are the old-fashioned long ones though that won't suit every lamp or light fixture.


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## CGorman (6 Oct 2005)

I read recently in this [broken link removed]  (subscription required) that Philips are devloping a new type of light bulb. Based on using 1000,s of powerful LED's, the bulb can function perfectly without being changed for *up to 20 years* , costs just *1/8 to run*  and will be competitive with current long life bulbs. It's quite amazing, but don't hold off your purchase for this... you never know what snag could hold it up.


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## Leo (7 Oct 2005)

Shouldn't be too much scope for snags to halt these. The main problem to overcome is that it probably won't be practical to use conventionally packaged LEDs, so they will have to come up with a cluster of diodes packaged in a material that will diffuse the light in a manner similar to that of conventional bulbs. I'd imagine the fact that they are publicising these means they believe they have an answer to this, and have already lodged the patents.
Leo


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## z102 (10 Oct 2005)

To follow the story : Has some one bought and  installed the Aldi bulbs? Are they good?


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## ClubMan (27 Oct 2005)

In case it's of any interest in the context of this thread [broken link removed] are doing some _CFLs _on Thursday 3rd November.


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