OT Low Energy Light Bulb

In article , Bill Wright wrote:
I'd have to look up the details, but I'm sure it's possible to make an
electric motor that is more efficient than any kind of heat engine. A car
engine produces waste heat all the time it is running, even when it isn't
pushing the car along (which is how the "heater" works), whereas an*
electric
motor produces zero heat when it's doing zero work.

What do you do about the heater then? I couldn't be doing with a car where*
the heater only worked when you're travelling! Not with my circulation*
deary!

I wondered exactly the same thing so I asked the Toyota guy when being shown
the Prius, and he said it definitely has one and it's electric so not
dependent on waste engine heat, of which there wouldn't be enough. Actually
it's called "Climate Controlled Air Conditioning", so I guess it heats or
cools as necessary. Clever stuff. In fact, the whole car is a very impressive
piece of engineering. I could go on, but it would be difficult to relate it
to digital TV....

Rod.

In article , Derek Geldard
wrote:
The life is quoted in operating hours.

No - You will forgive me I am sure, but I beg to differ.

I have the box here in front of me and although difficult to read,
with the aid of a x4 magnifying glass it can eventually be made out to
say in a space smaller than a 20p piece (In 6 languages) "6 Years
Life"

I have a Phillips free sample light bulb which is marked "Lasts 10
hours", but I've kept if for several years and it's still intact.

I haven't actually used it of course. It seemed such a daft marketing
ploy that I couldn't think of any other use for it than as a souvenir,
so in that capacity will probably outlast me.

Rod.

In article , Ivan wrote:
A clockwork timer, how cunning!. This might sound crazy to younger*
contributors, but when I was a kid half of our house was lit by gas and the*
other half by electricity, simply because at that time (postwar period) my*
mother could only afford to have the the bottom half of the house wired!

Our house had gas fires upstairs and down, and some suspicious looking lumpy
bits on some of the walls, so we were careful only to hang pictures using the
picture rails and never by banging nails in anywhere else.

Rod.

In article , Bill Wright wrote:
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message*
.. .
In article , Dickie mint wrote:
GU10 fluorescent lamps are also available. They fit in the same
sockets, though as they are about 16mm longer they don't look right in
all fittings, so you have to choose carefully. I have four in a ceiling
fitting that now consumes a total of 28W instead of 200W, and I can
change an individual bulb without burning my fingers.

After considerable experiment I found out that the trick is to turn the*
lights off and let them cool before changing the bulb.

Yes, that works, but I find it's quite a feat of co-ordination to keep my
balance on the chair while fiddling about with the light fitting and
simultaneously maintaining just the right amount of grip on the torch with
my teeth.

The next time I have to change one of the ceiling spotlights in my bathroom
(which is surrounded by other rooms and consequently has no windows) I'll
run a cable in and use an Anglepoise, because I just *know* where the torch
would go if I lost my concentration, and I wouldn't want to put it in my
mouth after that.

Rod.

wrote in message ...
On 16 Mar,
"Ivan" wrote:

A clockwork timer, how cunning!. This might sound crazy to younger
contributors, but when I was a kid half of our house was lit by gas and
the
other half by electricity, simply because at that time (postwar period)
my
mother could only afford to have the the bottom half of the house wired!

We had one bedroom with the gas light retained, as to have had an extra
light
would have put the cost up so that the installation had to be paid for up
front, rather than by an increased tariff on the slotmeter(which took old
pennies)

I don't know if anyone else who can actually remember gas lighting will
agree with me, but I tended to find that it had a much warmer ambience
(if
that's the right word!) and was therefore much more restful and
comforting
than the harsher glare of an electric light.

Yes, I much preferred it compared to the horribly red incandescents that
people now seem to prefer. We retained strategic gas lamps in the lounge
and
one or two other rooms as my father thought electricity may be unreliable.
This proved useful at times, but was removed when the gas supply was
updated
in the 60s for an instantanious water heater (Main Severn, a horrible
contraption!)


During the early seventies when we had a three day week and there were
long
periods without electricity, one or two of the older pubs in the Clifton
area of Bristol actually managed to press their long since defunct gas
lights back into service, which seemed to improve the whole atmosphere
immensely, a lot of my drinking chums at the time thought that it should
have been kept alive as an occasional feature, although I don't know
whether health and safety would approve nowadays!

Around that time I was rewiring my sister's house, and discovered working
bat's wing burners in her cellar. Quite useful as working lights when the
power was off, but could have burned the place down. Modern risc
assessment
would condemn them.


Magic days, even if nostalgia is not quite what it used to be, so as the
maudlin air of depression is now beginning to creep in after a few whiskies
(I'm beginning to concur with Sir Geoffrey Howe's sentiments on this week's
Any Questions that he's seriously worried that the party really is now
drawing to a close) I think it's time for bed.

--
BD
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
.. .
In article , Bill Wright
wrote:
I'd have to look up the details, but I'm sure it's possible to make an
electric motor that is more efficient than any kind of heat engine. A
car
engine produces waste heat all the time it is running, even when it
isn't
pushing the car along (which is how the "heater" works), whereas an
electric
motor produces zero heat when it's doing zero work.

What do you do about the heater then? I couldn't be doing with a car
where
the heater only worked when you're travelling! Not with my circulation
deary!

I wondered exactly the same thing so I asked the Toyota guy when being
shown
the Prius, and he said it definitely has one and it's electric so not
dependent on waste engine heat, of which there wouldn't be enough.
Actually
it's called "Climate Controlled Air Conditioning", so I guess it heats or
cools as necessary. Clever stuff. In fact, the whole car is a very
impressive
piece of engineering. I could go on, but it would be difficult to relate
it
to digital TV....

Rod.

I stand to be corrected, but I think your Toyota dealer was talking out of
his proverbial. I have a 27 month old Prius and - unless the spec. has
changed for more recent models - the HEAT is produced by the engine
(although he COOL is produced by an electric compressor). The engine will,
in fact, run on a cold day just to keep the car interior warm (when it's not
running for other reasons - to keep the car in motion). However, unlike a
conventional car, once the cabin IS warm the engine switches off (a bit like
a domestic heating system). I, too, could go on but, as has been said
above, it's got about as much to do with digital TV as low energy light
bulbs....... ;-))

Cheers

Chas

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
.. .
In article , Bill Wright
wrote:
"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
.. .
In article , Dickie mint wrote:
GU10 fluorescent lamps are also available. They fit in the same
sockets, though as they are about 16mm longer they don't look right in
all fittings, so you have to choose carefully. I have four in a ceiling
fitting that now consumes a total of 28W instead of 200W, and I can
change an individual bulb without burning my fingers.

After considerable experiment I found out that the trick is to turn the
lights off and let them cool before changing the bulb.

Yes, that works, but I find it's quite a feat of co-ordination to keep my
balance on the chair while fiddling about with the light fitting and
simultaneously maintaining just the right amount of grip on the torch with
my teeth.
We've bought some candles. We keep them with a box of matches in a dry
place. As a technocrat I feel a bit annoyed about it but they are actually
very practical.


The next time I have to change one of the ceiling spotlights in my
bathroom
(which is surrounded by other rooms and consequently has no windows) I'll
run a cable in and use an Anglepoise, because I just *know* where the
torch
would go if I lost my concentration, and I wouldn't want to put it in my
mouth after that.
Yer very particular.

Bill

Sigh - dimmable CFLs are available and have been for some time.

You've still got to remove all your dimmers, though, and fit new ones.
Dimmable CFLs require a different type of dimmer (the dimming is done inside
the CFL - the "dimmer" on the wall just sends a signal through the mains
wiring to the CFL).

SteveT

On 17/03/2008 00:37, SteveT wrote:

You've still got to remove all your dimmers, though, and fit new ones.

No you haven't.

Dimmable CFLs require a different type of dimmer (the dimming is done
inside the CFL - the "dimmer" on the wall just sends a signal through
the mains wiring to the CFL).

Some may be as you described, others need no dimmer they operate from a
normal switch, still others use an existing external dimmer.

http://www.varilight.co.uk/Pages/page%20digiflux.htm

Scott wrote:

most useful close to the ceiling. A lightbulb must be a more
efficient way of heating a house than a heating system designed for
the purpose.

Which when you think about it is true... 99%+ of the energy you feed
into a bulb will be emitted as heat into the fabric of the building (a
small amount will escape as light through the windows). Even the best
gas boiler will lose a greater percentage of heat out of its flue.

--
Cheers,

John.

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