by Ian Fursland, Managing Director of The LAMP Company
After nearly 30 years in the business I thought it would be a good idea to write an article about light bulbs highlighting some common inaccuracies and myths. Here’s some unbiased & true facts about light bulbs, or as we call them professionally, lamps.
1. All Incandescent Light Bulbs are banned within the European Union
The EU are trying to stop production of incandescent bulbs but it’s not a ban, it’s an EU Directive that most of the large Manufacturers are complying with. It only applies to “standard” domestic light bulbs/lamps. For businesses the Directive does not apply, but it is difficult to find a Manufacturer that will supply these items.
There are lots of Manufacturers making rough service, special filament and tough lamps. These lamps have extra filament supports to help in areas of vibration; not a problem in most domestic homes and widely available.
View our range of Incandescent Light Bulbs
2. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs save money and the environment
A huge percentage of compact fluorescents (CLFis) are poor performing and most of us are used to the “freebies” our energy Companies gave away – basic lamps, long warm up times and you’re not going to believe this, funded by us energy users! That’s why our bills have increased. CLFis, solar panels & wind turbines all funded by us! The reason these were free is so the energy Companies could hit their “Carbon Reduction” targets set by government. There is no monitoring of the scheme to make domestic users actually use them so they are a complete waste of time and money!
There are plenty of Manufacturers that offer fantastic quality CFLis. View our range of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs or contact us for more information.
3. Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain dangerous amounts of mercury
Yes most CFLis have mercury in them, a banned substance but allowable in lighting. Barometer manufacturers are going out of business but not lighting manufacturers. Anyway CLFis only contain minuscule amounts or mercury and it’s only harmful if you ingest lots of them. Opening the windows for 15 minutes and calling health & safety is not really necessary. A good hoover of the area will be adequate.
There are plenty of recycling points around the Country for you to dispose of them. View our lighting guide to safe light bulb disposal.
4. LED light bulbs do not get hot
Well there’s a statement you’ll see quite a lot. Most of the retrofit lamps on the market have built in heat-sinks to take all the excess heat away from the LED chip to stop it degrading and shortening its life. We have seen only one that does not get hot and that is the new Panasonic 6.4 watt clear lamp due to be released soon. Click on this link for the Panasonic LED demonstration.
5. Low Voltage Spot lamps are inefficient
Well in terms of lumens per watt this statement is factually correct. However there are plenty of other lamps that are far worse. For example the 240v GU10 halogen lamp is the most inefficient lamp on the planet. Compared to the Low Volt MR16 lamp they emit as much as a third of the lumens for the same power consumption.
LEDs are about half the lumens of a halogen so once again not a true retrofit yet! The 240v versions are retrofits so there is no need for a transformer. However the Low Voltage multi mirrored lamps are available with high output versions and IRC technology.
Some members of the press quote “The payback time on these IRC lamps is a matter of months!” We’ve done the calculations and yes a mere 21.5 months approximately based on 3 hours a day at 12p an electrical Unit.
The GU10s are also available in energy saving versions in the Halogen format. View our range of halogen energy saver spots.
Of course the European Lamp Council are forgetting one major fact about banning Low Voltage Spot lamps. There are probably over a billion fittings in the EU alone. Each one has a transformer attached to them that need to be removed by a qualified Electrician to comply with regulations. All the transformers and possible fittings, need to be scrapped which, in my opinion, is extremely damaging to the planet. Why not just improve the efficiency, light output and life and remove the 240v lamp from sale first.
6. LED light bulbs will replace Incandescent light bulbs
Yes they will as some point in the future. At the moment the Lumens per Watt ratio is still far too low to be a true retrofit. Joe Public will be sorely disappointed spending a huge sum of money on a lamp that is not a true retrofit. Yes there are many applications where they are just fine.
I have 4 GLS LED lamps in my home but I have the advantage of “testing” them as samples. Even my Wife is happy with them in the applications where they are situated. However in our kitchen she is very unhappy with the LED directional spot lights. Unlike halogen the LEDs project the beam forward only. If they are rated at 24 degrees you get a spot on the wall that is 24 degrees and all the light is forward. Halogens always have the overspill and invariably you get some light coming back through the lamp to illuminate the ceiling. If anyone would like pictures of a before and after please let me know. I used two different Manufacturers lamps in the test.
7.
I have just returned from Light & Build 2012 in Frankfurt. The showcase fair for all new products in the pipeline. Some startling facts. Samsung had a stand, it was huge probably over 7 figures, and yet they have taken a decision not to stock any LED retrofit lamps. From approval of a sample chip to completed Manufacture it takes 12 weeks. Then the chip needs mounting into a lamp. After 12 weeks the chip is obsolete something better is already in production that supersedes it. Samsung has taken the stand that they will not be stocking any “retrofit” lamp products worldwide until technology advances in LED chips slows down. You are welcome to buy their products but they will not be supported.
Finally. If it’s too good to be true…… It probably is.
Over the last few months we have seen several farcical press articles quoting savings on lighting schemes that are unjustified. We are not talking a few pounds out on the article but, in one case, over ten thousand pounds out! It was too good to be true and we highlighted it to the publisher that is correcting the data on the next issue. This sort of inaccurate reporting is damaging to the Lighting Industry and needs to be corrected by all those concerned.
All that said and done we have to move with the times and promote good green ethics to our customers. Being completely independent we can offer free impartial advice on any lighting need. We don’t sell items to just line our pockets, we sell solutions for the customer based on our huge experience, with proven saving schedules.
If you require any help or advice please do not hesitate to contact our sales department on 01462 490066 or by email sales@lampco.co.uk
