Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs — by producing them in China, importing them as “small heating devices” and selling them as “heatballs.”
To improve energy efficiency, the EU has banned the sale of bulbs of over 60 watts — to the annoyance of the mechanical engineer from the western city of Essen.
Rotthaeuser studied EU legislation and realized that because the inefficient old bulbs produce more warmth than light — he calculated heat makes up 95 percent of their output, and light just 5 percent — they could be sold legally as heaters.
Just in time for winter…
BTJ:
You’d put a space heater, which is big, bulky, and generally has at least 250W output, and usually more (the smallest I could find at Canadian Tire had a 900W output) in our hot box?
So your recommendation is use a device that’s 50 times as expensive (bulb: $0.50; space heater $25), uses at least 4 times as much electricity ($80/year vs. $20/yr), and takes up significantly more space? Over a decade, your suggestion costs $825, and mine costs $205.
Remind me not to ask you for any financial advice in the future.
“You’d put a space heater, which is big, bulky, and generally has at least 250W output, and usually more (the smallest I could find at Canadian Tire had a 900W output) in our hot box?”
Did you not read my post…I specifically mentioned your situation as one in which an incandescent bulb is appropriate. That’s ALL I’m suggesting, is to use what is APPROPRIATE. Incandescent bulbs are NOT appropriate for lighting large areas or for direct lighting such as hallways, offices, kitchens, etc., nor are they appropriate for heating LIVING spaces.
BTJ, you seem to have a very poor understanding of radiant heating. You do not have to heat the air in a living space or workspace in order to have a comfortable environment. After all, the Sun does not heat the Earth by blowing hot air at it.
Fact is, heating the air alone can be extremely wasteful in an environment where there is, by necessity, a great deal of air exchange with the outdoors. Ever been in a vehicle service shop that is heated by overhead gas-fired radiant heaters? Gas is burned in a long steel pipe beneath an overhead stainless-steel reflector. The whole affair looks like, and is, an exact analogue to the typical fluorescent luminaire, except that it runs in the long-wave IR region of the spectrum. But you sure can feel the warmth from those things, even if the shop is filled with -20° air that came in with the last vehicle to enter. The heater warms the contents of the room, occupants included, which in turn will eventually heat the air until everything equilibrates. The radiant heat from standard incandescent bulbs works exactly the same way.
The Greenie position is that the heat from those bulbs is invariably wasted; the conservative position is that it ain’t necessarily so. The smart thing to do would be to use incandescents lavishly during the winter, when heat is needed, and when the hours of darkness are longer, and use fluorescents, compact or conventional, during the summer, especially if one has to air-condition the space.
And, no, I don’t give a rat’s patoot about the alleged dangers of mercury in fluorescent bulbs of any type. The tiny amount of elemental mercury in such lamps won’t cause me any harm, even if I do bust the odd one. In a roundabout, I’m actually agreeing with you on this point, but you seem unable to see it.
The real problem with CFLs as they currently exist is a failure rate much higher than advertised, especially given the higher cost of purchase. That adds a replacement cost factor that can really eat into the modest energy savings they provide. I say “modest” because if you stop and think of what portion of your electric bill is due to “lighting” as opposed to things like appliances, computers, television, etc., you’ll realize that even if you eliminate the “lighting” category altogether, the bill will still be substantial.
No John.Wrong.
Stick around and you’ll get educated.
Conservatives are independents who don’t like the guvament interfering in our lives.
“You do not have to heat the air in a living space or workspace in order to have a comfortable environment. After all, the Sun does not heat the Earth by blowing hot air at it.”
I understand you completely! If you DON’T heat the air, anything that is warmer than it will invariably lose heat to it.
There’s a reason why buildings are heated by moving heated air…because it’s impractical and ineffective to blast radiant heating througout the entire space…radiant heating is not easily spread uniformly.
“Fact is, heating the air alone can be extremely wasteful in an environment where there is, by necessity, a great deal of air exchange with the outdoors. Ever been in a vehicle service shop that is heated by overhead gas-fired radiant heaters? ”
Last time I checked we were discussing LIVING SPACES…not an open garage. Living spaces tend to be CLOSED SYSTEMS (more or less), and if they aren’t, I’d suggest sealing up leaks…that’s why you seal windows and doors.
Why do you insist on taking this outside of the realm of the discussion? Possibly so you can climb up on your high horse? Are you suggesting that it would be practical to fill your house with incandescent bulbs? So that at any point you are within 6 inches of one?
” which in turn will eventually heat the air until everything equilibrates”
Well it will never reach equilibrium in an open garage! That’s why they use those heaters. Is your house an open garage? Do you leave your front door open all day? No, that’s why you use an HVAC system.
“The Greenie position is that the heat from those bulbs is invariably wasted; the conservative position is that it ain’t necessarily so. The smart thing to do would be to use incandescents lavishly during the winter, when heat is needed, and when the hours of darkness are longer, and use fluorescents, compact or conventional, during the summer, especially if one has to air-condition the space.”
Like I said…your HVAC system is MUCH more efficient and effective at heating your HOUSE. In fact, there are even more efficient ways that do not require ANY energy. Building design is so far outdated it’s sickening…just the fact that we put all the insolation on the INSIDE still is retarded. Light bulbs are usually too far away from people to effectively transfer radiant heat. They heat nothing, other than the 6 inch cubed sphere of air around it…which is above most people, and just rises even higher.
You’d be better of using light bulbs that use a fraction of the energy and using a space heater, or turning up your HVAC system.
” I say “modest” because if you stop and think of what portion of your electric bill is due to “lighting” as opposed to things like appliances, computers, television, etc., you’ll realize that even if you eliminate the “lighting” category altogether, the bill will still be substantial.”
True, depending on the situation. Which is why I said use them for lighting LARGE AREAS. I never suggesting replacing every incandescent bulb with a CFL.
Gotta go stock up on incandescents again soon. They do still sell them don’t they?? Last time I bought a pile of them and haven’t had the need to get any for quite some time now…but I’m thinking I’ll go and replenish…try and get enough to last for my lifetime anyway. lol.
The lights of civilization are not yet out. Its going to be a quick fade into the dark.
JMO