Energy Efficiency/New Building Regulations
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Good to see a decent LED alternative … what kind of wattage are they capable of ? from what i’ve seen, LED’s emit nothing like their ‘equivalent watt rating’ suggests.
I think that the case for energy efficient lighting is a bit more subtle than many think.
The law of conservation of energy means that energy doesn’t just “disappear”; in the case of incandescent bulbs, the “lost” energy is emitted as heat. Therefore for indoor lighting in colder climates (such as ours), it is only during the summer that the energy is wasted. At other times, believe it or not the energy “wasted” on the bulbs is “saved” from your heating bill.
Given the high cost of construction and disposal of CFL lighting, I’m not at all convinced that replacing simple cheap relatively clean dimmer-friendly devices like incandescent bulbs with compact CFLs yields an environmental dividend under these circumstances. Remember fluorescents contain nasty stuff like mercury and require a support electronics and don’t take kindly to being switched on and off regularly.
The case for low energy alternatives for outdoor applications and generally in warmer climates is clear.
LED is great but current manufacturing techniques make them impractical for domestic applications although there are promising developments in this area.
I think it’s a bit early to think of banning incandescent bulbs outright.
Well what is proposed is actually quite unambitious insofar as it’s only phase one. Only bulbs 75w and over will have to be energy efficient from March next year – this enables the vast majority of domestic light bulbs to continue to be sold unaffected until March 2010. Everything from the classic candle bulb, to the standard 60w table lamp bulb, to halogen spots to Sacred Heart bulbs (;)) will remain untouched until then. The Department estimates “perhaps 50%” of the market will be affected – I think it’s more like 30% at best. Essentially all that is being encouraged over the next 18 months is for people to change the standard 100w pendant in the centre of bedrooms and hallways to a 20w CFL.
The proposed legislation discussion document isn’t very clear on translating the required efficiencies into actual products, so what exactly will vanish off the shelves post-2010 has yet to be confirmed. From what I can make out though traditional halogen bulbs (below) – which never really took off in Ireland – do not appear to be affected provding they comply with the requirements. I think they just about scrape it in. They’re 20-30% more efficient than traditional bulbs as they burn brighter for less energy, therefore you typically chose a 25w instead of a non-halogen 40w.
Again the Shelbourne also uses the above candle bulb encasing a halogen capsule to elegant effect on some exterior lanterns. Admittedly they’re not quite as good as those above, featuring a plastic ring around the base, but still the only instance I’ve ever encountered of them in Ireland. They also last over twice as long as traditional incandescents. Why in the name of all that’s sane the State isn’t investing in even this basic technology that’s been around since the 1960s is beyond me. As we can see, there’s a host of krypton and halogen solutions on the market that are more energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
Furthermore, now is the ideal opportunity for that State to properly invest in its array of historic chandeliers, all of which received economising 1950s and 1960s electrifying solutions whereby bulb sockets were simply shoved directly into the candleholders, with no attempt made to recreate the lofty elegance of candles these chandeliers were designed to hold. This is done across Europe and can even lead to efficiencies with the use of miniature halogen capsules at a meagre 10-20w each. No excuses.
(traditional candle bulbs are used here but ya get the idea!)
I understand what you mean jimg about the heat of incandescents being useful but the reality is the vast majority of people do not have individual room thermostat controlled heating – the heat blasts on regardless. Even controls on radiators are useless in that respect. The same applies for this nonsense about replacement windows; absolutely nothing changes in efficiency unless heating and insulation controls also change.
Not sure what the output of the earlier LED bulbs are Peter, other than they ‘replace 12w bubs’. I suspect that refers to halogen capsules in which case that’s a pretty decent output.
13/10/2009
I was at a launch in the main conference room of the Custom House one evening last week, located at first floor level centred on the rear portico overlooking Beresford Place. A 1920s neo-Georgian room with oddly old-fashioned detailing for the period of the building, it was painted a somewhat lurid shade of early ’90s yellow.
What grabbed one though immediately upon entering the room was the utter hideousness of the lighting – a central Waterford chandelier fitted out with about 20 white, plastic CFL orbs hovering above the gathered crowd. Not only did the chandelier look preposterous in all its mutilated glory (allbeit, admittedly, not the most attractive of light fittings going in the first instance), the intense dull fluorescent glow emitted from a central source made it one of the most uncomfortable rooms I’ve ever been in. It was nothing short of an embarrassment to the dignity of the surroundings, like a someone who almost knows how to dress smartly, but gives the game away with the brand tag on the cuff of their suit.
What is this obsession with manky CFL bulbs in State ceremonial buildings?! Who is pushing this, above myriad other sensitive alternatives, to the detriment of the aesthetics of some of the most significant interiors in the country?
A simple alternative to this lunacy is fitting the same chandelier with sparkling halogen candle bulbs at a 28w rating instead of the typical 40w and fitting on a dimmer. This compares favourably with a typical 12w CFL ‘candle’ bulb typically used as replacement. A halogen bulb works out at about €2 to buy with 2000 hours of life, versus €6 for a CFL at 10,000 hours. Not a ringing endorsement for halogen, but still a considerable saving.
What also struck me about the above event is how much more pleasant the room would have been dimly lit with a warm halogen glow – arguably more energy could have been saved by the use of a dimmer rather than nasty CFLs. There’s just no joined up thinking on this, with a crude blanket solution applied to every situation. Otherwise, there was a very nice use of warm tungsten spots around the perimeter of the above room which negated some of the CFL aura.
Almost every State building I know has now been wrecked with CFL candle bulbs. One of the very last bastions is the State Drawing Room in Dublin Castle, where it’s only a matter of time before Waterford’s most accomplished State commission is about to be mauled.
lost in modernism join the club…
I was actually considering comparing prices in all markets across the world of CFL but didnt
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