The Energy Police are coming

[ilikecobwebs]

Found article from 12th February;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/4605386/Energy-experts-to-visit-every-home-to-help-them-go-green.html

 

[masochists-r-us]

Agreed. Anybody know where we can buy 100w light bulbs ? They must have been outlawed as no one seems to stock them any more. Have tried the 7w energy efficient equivalent, but seem to need 2 or 3 of them to get the same light in our dark old house.

 

[MdB]

Agreed. Anybody know where we can buy 100w light bulbs ? They must have been outlawed as no one seems to stock them any more. Have tried the 7w energy efficient equivalent, but seem to need 2 or 3 of them to get the same light in our dark old house.

7W CFL is equivalent to 35W to 40W filament bulb so it isn't too surprising that you need 2 or 3 to replace a 100W filament. To replace a 100W filament you need at least a 20W CFL and I would go for 25W.

 

[dragonfly]

I don't have a problem with the idea of low energy bulbs, but why oh why can't those of equvalent light emission be the same size. The 20w bulbs which are equivalent to the old 100w versions are much longer than a normal bulb, therefore stick out in a very unsightly manner from the light fittings I have. And as for fitting them into an uplighting shade - don't even btoehr trying

 

[CHRIS]

Anybody know where we can buy 100w light bulbs ?

I think Ikea of all places do them. I got one a few weeks ago as I purchased a bedside lamp with a dimmer switch on and it is my understanding that the CFL ones dont work on a dimmer switch.

I do have a CFL one from Osram that is a much better shape and looks like a normal old school type.

 

[Ixia]

There is pretty much an energy saving bulb for every occasion now. I've been trialling energy saving halogen replacements in my mains voltage spotlights - admittedy with varying results :roll:

The link below sells dimmable traditionally shaped energy savers etc - I'm not recommending the company btw, just using their info as an example of what's out there now.

http://www.ebulbshop.com/acatalog/Energy_saving_Light_Bulbs.html

Ixia x

 

[ilikecobwebs]

Everyone's picked on the lightbulbs here, but the main reason I posted this was because of the plan to "send round experts" to every home, telling us all what we ought and ought not to do with our houses. I think we all know enough about "experts" to guess what some of that will be, especially when dealing with period and listed properties.
And what about this idea, ".....scheme will link any loan for home improvements to the house rather than the person so that when a family move, the repayment passes to the next owner." So if you move house you'll have to watch out for the loans that you'll inherit. I havent thought that one through yet, but there are bound to be snags somewhere.

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm waiting for energy ratings to become part of the local rates assessment. :roll:

The Local Government Association said consumers should not have to pay. Instead the organisation called on energy companies to fork out from massive annual profits.

And where do the 'massive annual profits' of energy companies come from? Of course the consumers will pay - one way or another.

 

[biffvernon]

No, the people who will pay for our profligate use of cheap fossil fuel will be our children and grandchildren. They may pay with their lives when our planet become less habitable.

 

[ilikecobwebs]

Spending any more money on our place, bar essential maintenance, is a non-starter. The bank balance is severely depleted now. What annoys me more is the fact that while domestic households are nagged into reducing their energy emissions, Heathrow's getting a third runway.....

 

[biffvernon]

Some deluded folk think Heathrow's getting a third runway... but we know better.

 

[ilikecobwebs]

I sincerely hope they don't get it.

 

[Flyfisher]

What I find ironic is how "they" are always coming up with various schemes to reduce our energy consumption. Hence encouragement (or worse) to fit more insulation and DG, basing car tax on engine emissions, banning filament lamps etc etc. All these things are bureaucratic, complicated (same thing?) and costly. And I don't believe there is any evidence to show that such schemes work. Sure, it might be possible to reduce our household heating bills but what will everyone do with the money they save - jet off for an extra holiday perhaps? (maybe the reason for building another Heathrow runway :wink: ). Across the entire country, I'd bet that all these schemes will have little or no effect on our overall fossil fuel consumption, it will merely change the pattern of how we consume it.

If fossil fuel consumption really is the problem then why not just increase the tax on the offending fuel until people simply can't afford to use as much as they do now? This would cut right to the point, is simple to implement and would be far more effective in focusing people's minds on how they could really consume less fossil fuel, in fact how to consume less of everything because the prices of everything would go sky high.

Political and economic suicide, of course, which is why it will never happen.

It's all a bit reminiscent of those old nuclear war "protect and survive" films instructing us to whitewash our windows and hide under the table when the sirens go off. All complete nonsense, of course, but it keeps the population calm by pretending something can be done.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

It's all a bit reminiscent of those old nuclear war "protect and survive" films instructing us to whitewash our windows and hide under the table when the sirens go off. All complete nonsense, of course, but it keeps the population calm by pretending something can be done.

As confirmed over 20 years ago by this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90f9Qm60tU8&feature=related

I recently bought the DVD box set, and - would you belive it? - rather than getting dated, the whole series has become even more relevant...

 

[Flyfisher]

Wonderful stuff indeed. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[skier-hughes]

I used to love that..... must look up those boxed sets.

Graham