Our crusade against halogen spot lights

I hate halogen spot lights. I will try to clarify this statement.

Halogen bulbs are more efficient than incandescents (approx 30% more efficient in case you were wondering). However it is how they are used, in particular halogen spotlights that really gets us wound up.

How many new build properties do you see with upwards of 10 halogen spotlights in each room(post 1990)? I recently brought a new house in which I counted over 50 spotlights embedded in the ceilings throughout the property. Each uses 50 watts. They are all in high use areas - ie. the kitchen, living room, bathroom and main bedroom. That means at any one time they could be using up to 2500 watts (2.5KW) If I use these lights on average 2 hours a day that means I am spending just short of £130 to use these bulbs. They last about 1 year, give off tonnes of heat and cost a lot of money, without giving out that much light.

Many businesses we visit to carry out lighting audits have the same issue. They have way too many halogen spot lights, which cost far too much and cause loads of hassle.

There are some great low energy halogen replacements now available in both mains and low voltage.

Mains Voltage (GU10)

Megaman CFL - These come in 7W,9W and 11W versions. The issue with these is that they are slightly larger than their halogen counterparts, but if you have room in your recessed ceilings they use a fifth of the energy and give out a good quality light (and should last 15 times as long, without any of the unneccesary heat)

LEDs - These are getting better and more cost effective but are still very expensive and don't match the strength of a 50W halogen (but the chances are if you have 10 spotlights in a room, you won't mind having slightly less heat). The ones we sell are equivalent to about 25/30W and give a really nice warm light, using only 3 Watts and giving off barely any heat.


Low Voltage (MR16)

Philips Masterline - These are slightly more efficient halogens, last 5000 hours and use 20W and 30W (equivalent to 35W and 50W)

Visit our site or post here to find out more about low energy halogen replacements...

Low Energy Lighting - Is it in the best interests of the industry?

ECO-St are one of a small number of comanies in the UK that only sell low energy lighting. This got me thinking... Why do the majority of retailers seem reluctant to take high energy bulbs off their shelves? I am sure this is partly due to confidence of the general public in low energy lighting and the retailers not wanting to risk upsetting, or even worse losing customers. But it is also worth looking at other potential implications for major and independent light bulb sellers of selling only low energy light bulbs. The best low energy light bulbs at present have a minimum life of 15,000 hours. Although more expensive, this means that customers are going to wait quite a while before they have to replace it again - probably 15 years, based on 3 hours use a day. We genuinely care about the environment and want to help people reduce their impact on it, whilst developing a sustainable and profitable business. Other companies it seems may only be interested in the 'profit' bit and as such I wonder if they will follow our lead and ONLY sell low energy light bulbs in the near future? Probably not.

Incandescent Bulbs - The phasing out continues.... (and it really is a good thing!)

The most inefficient incandescent bulbs will soon be a thing of the past. A government initiative is in place to work with all retailers, manufacturers and energy suppliers to phase out the production and selling of 'high energy' light bulbs.

This came to the public's attention most starkly in January this year when the 100W light bulb was withdrawn from almost all stores in the UK and the Daily Mail ran a campaign to protest against the initiative.

In fact the process was well under way by this point with the 150W light bulb having been withdrawn from most retailers shelf by the end of 2008.

A full breakdown of the dates for the phasing out can be found below...
(A-shaped is the most common standard bulb shape)

75-100W A-shaped (Jan 2009)
60W A-shaped (Jan 2010)
40W A-shaped (Jan 2011)
60W golfball-shaped and candle-shaped (Jan 2011)

ECO-St fully supports this initiative (and it is an 'initiative' not a law) set up by the government to work in collaberation through voluntary agreements with all those organisations that impact on the lighting industry.

We also believe the initiative has some way to go and steps need to be taken to ensure that all incandescents bulbs are phased out (including all shapes and sizes). It is vitally important that short cuts and compromises are not taken, in particular in the area of halogen bulbs which often result in small savings compared to incandescents (usually around 30%). One of the most common energy guzzling bulbs prevalent in the UK is the 50W halogen spotlight. At present there is nothing in the initiative that has an impact on these bulbs and we believe this needs to be addressed urgently.

Let me know what you think of the phasing out by commenting using the link below...

Do LEDs point to a bright future?

Compact Fluorescent light bulbs have evolved a great deal in recent years and allow us to light up a room using a fifth of the energy that we once used in a far more sustainable and efficient manner. Yet there still appears to be scope for improvement. An LED (Light Emitting Diode)uses a tenth of the energy than an incandescent bulb uses and whilst these have traditionally been used on electrical appliances, recent advancements have meant they are increasingly being used for more complex lighting solutions. I saw an LED candle bulb at the NEC lighting show last week that used 3 watts and gave the equivalent output of a 40W bulb (and next to an incandescent I couldn't tell the difference). So what are we waiting for and why aren't these readily available if they are as amazing as they say they are? One word - price. The LED candle bulb that I referred to would cost approximately £16 to buy. Whilst it would last upto 30 years and give significant energy savings this is still a large initial outlay. But in 5 - 10 years when those wonderful CFLs have reached the end of their life, LEDs appear to be the future.

This video from ECO Geek in the states shows where the technology is already up to...

ECO-St Vs The Daily Mail

Today the Daily Mail ran a front page story protesting against the phasing out of 100W light bulbs. Myself and ECO-St would like to take this opportunity to display our disquiet at the lack of foresight, progression and unbiased reporting in the Daily Mail's approach to this subject. They are even giving away free incandescent bulbs to readers, which contradicts the enormous amount of good work being done by charitable organisations and community groups across the UK to encourage people to reduce their impact on the environment by changing over to low energy lighting. We believe the Daily Mail approach is based on scare-mongering and out dated views on low energy bulbs which have progressed a great deal in recent years.
The phasing out of 100W bulbs is part of a larger initiative to phase out incandescent light bulbs, with a standard 60W GLS bulb planned to be phased out by January 2011.

Low energy Lighting Economics and Politics

This is just a plug for a blog that I regularly read about low energy lighting. It is written by Dr Matt Prescott (another Oxfordshire based Low Energy Lighting Guru!) and is called 'Ban the Bulb'. The campaigns aim is to:

1. Create a deadline for action
2. Remove the price advantage of incandescents
3. Help the poor
4. Encourage responsible recycling
5. Encourage + strengthen supporting legislation
6. Propose appropriate medical and specialist exemptions
7. Encourage continued innovation
8. Encourage energy efficiency and conservation
9. Use LEDs to set energy performance standards

As well as being written for a more than worthwhile cause it helps keep me up to date with various elements of the low energy lighting industry and politics surrounding it.

You can find it here; http://ban-the-bulb.blogspot.com/

Enjoy...

Low Energy Lighting Myths

Every day in our stores we get questions from customers who have heard on the grape vine various negative and some times worrying stories about low energy light bulbs. Here I am going to try to dispel a few of those myths...

1. All low energy bulbs look ugly

Whilst the spiral and stick shaped bulbs we all get from the energy suppliers don’t look great in exposed light fittings, there are plenty of regular-looking eco bulbs, such as the Philips Softone range, available in globe, candle and other shapes.

2. Low energy bulbs produce unpleasant light

Whilst low energy light bulbs definitely produce a different colour of light, it has advanced a great deal in recent years, with more modern low energy bulbs (in particular the Phillips Softone) producing a much warmer yellow light. If you are concerned always look for bulbs at the lower end of the Kalvin scale which rates colour temperature. Anything around 2700k should give off a nice warm light and this should always be written on the box/packet.

3. Eco bulbs flicker and take too long to turn on

Again, this is mainly a thing of the past. Most modern low-energy bulbs turn on within a second, with no flickering. It is true due to the very nature of the technology that they take longer to turn on than an incandescent bulb, but this isn't always a bad thing as it gives your eyes time to adjust to the light.

4. Low-energy bulbs aren’t any better for the environment because of the energy used in their production

Whilst Energy saving bulbs do take around four times more energy to make than regular incandescent bulbs do, they last five to ten times longer and help reduce the total energy used in light bulb manufacture and distribution. Even if this were not true, the energy used in producing an eco bulb would be outweighed by the 80 per cent energy savings it can make.

5. Low-energy bulbs don’t work with dimmer switches


Varilight and Megaman now offer dimmable bulbs that work off DORS (Dial or Switch) dimming. To be honest we rate Varilight as the more reliable of the two. It uses 15W, comes in bayonet and screw fittings and is equivalent to approx 75W.

6. Low-energy bulbs are a danger to the your health

Here is what Defra have to say on low energy light bulbs;

“Energy efficient light bulbs are not a danger to the public.

Like many household products, they must be disposed off sensibly and there are suitable facilities available for this purpose. Although they contain mercury, it cannot escape from a lamp that is intact. In any case, the very small amount contained in an energy efficient bulb is unlikely to cause harm even if the lamp should be broken.”

CFLs can become dangerous if exposed for long periods (hours on end) at a distance of less than 12 inches (30cm). If this is still of a concern to you I would take the Lighting Associations advice of using a low energy bulb with an outer casing, (http://www.eco-st.co.uk/Light-Bulb-Library-Home/Borrowers-Home/Bulb-Catalogue/Softtone-BC-12W.aspx) this limits exposure to the ultraviolet rays even further.

Energy saving bulbs are perfectly safe if used and disposed of properly. We are an approved light bulb recycler so if our stores are accessible to you please bring them in.