[jambutty]

There is already a tax on light bulbs – its called VAT.

I wonder if anyone has done an energy study on these low energy light bulbs? The cost of energy to make one that is. Plus the extra materials. It has to be more than a simple ordinary bulb. So my question is do they really save on electrical energy overall?

Some time back, being a pensioner, I received two free 60 watts low energy bulbs from some organisation or other with a coupon to send for two more.

I don’t know about anyone else but I have a small lamp on top of my telly to soften the glare from the screen when I’m watching so I put one of these low energy bulbs in the lamp when the normal 60 watts bulb gave up the ghost. Even if I’m not watching telly I still have it on from dusk onwards.

These new fangled bulbs are supposed to give off the same amount of light that a normal bulb does but it uses less electricity. I did say supposed to but they don’t.

How do I know?

Well it’s like this. I have a solar powered calculator that works quite well with the only light source being my telly lamp. Ignore the computer screen because that is always behind the calculator when I use it. Yet with the new bulb in place it wouldn’t work because there wasn’t enough light. I had to move the calculator a couple of feet closer to the light to get it to work. Ergo the new bulbs do not give off the same amount of light as a normal bulb of the same wattage. It may use less electricity but part of the reason has to be that it doesn’t give off the same amount of light. Are we being conned – again?

If this government really wants to cut electrical consumption there is no better place to start than the electrified railways. Use Diesel locomotives using bio fuel to pull the carriages instead. Underground and the Channel Tunnel trains would have to be exempt. Now that would save on electricity.

I am now going to help with the country’s energy needs by switching off my computer, the wireless and the telly lamp and go to bed. ‘night all!