|
LOGINYou are not logged on
|
Light Bulbs and Fluorescent Tubes Retailer UK - Lightbulbs are FIRST LIGHT DIRECTSales - 01737 845540Opening Times : 9am - 4.30pm (1pm-2pm Lunch)" Any Light Bulbs or Fluorescent Tubes Anywhere in the UK Mainland nextday from stock"
As a specialist Light Bulbs UK and Fluorescent Tubes retailer, we carry vast quantities and ranges of lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes from all the "Grade 1" manufacturers, such as GE Lighting, Philips, OSRAM and Sylvania Lighting. We hope you enjoy shopping with us. If you need Light Bulbs we have them! To ensure your Light Bulbs or Fluorescent Tubes Order is safely transacted we have invested in one of the leading Payment Gateways from Protx.
Protx means that all your credit and debit card details are safe and secure, no one including us, have access to this information, ensuring that your lightbulbs order is safely carried out. Seasonal Affective Disorder SADs Lightbulbs
SPECIAL OFFERS
We continually try to find the best innovation in Lamps and Fluorescent Tubes, such as our range of LED Light Bulbs, and our quality Halogen Light Bulbs range. However we will not launch a range of products until they are fully CE kit marked and manufactured to the highest of standards. So if you see a light bulb or fluorescent tube somewhere else and you can't find it on our site, just email us and we will be pleased to advise on it.
All of Your Light Bulbs Questions Answered 1. What is an energy saving lamp? The first energy saver was brought to the market by Philips in 1980. Nowadays a huge variety of energy efficient lamps are available: compact fluorescent lamps, halogen lamps and LEDs.
Energy savers are up to five times more efficient than incandescent lamps; in other words, they need up to five times less energy to generate the same amount of light. In addition, good quality energy savers typically last up to six to 10 times longer than incandescent lamps, so need less frequent replacement. 2. What costs can I save with a compact fluorescent lamp? Depending on the wattage, a consumer can save up to €100 over the lamp lifetime (in most cases the average lifetime is 8 years) just by replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 20-watt compact fluorescent lamp.
3. Why is the price of an energy saving lamp higher compared to a traditional light bulb? Over its lifetime an energy saving lamp can save around €80 just by replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 20-watt energy efficient light bulb. The purchasing price of energy saving lamps has traditionally been more expensive than ‘traditional’ incandescent lamps because they are more complex to produce (for instance: compact fluorescent lamps have integrated electronics).
4. Which energy saver should I buy to replace my old incandescent lamp?
Philips offers a wide variety on shapes and light effects so that you do not have to compromise any more. For any application at home we have the energy saving alternative, either in compact fluorescent or halogen technology.
5. Do energy savers give light of inferior quality? Compact fluorescent lamps have evolved to the point where they now are almost similar in functionality to incandescent lamps. Compared to several years ago, they last longer, are smaller, more efficient, safer and less expensive.
Philips energy saving lamps render a light quality which approaches very closely that of incandescent lamps. The Colour Rendering Index (CRI) expresses the level to which colours a represented in its natural form i.e. as if lit by sunlight. An incandescent lamp has a CRI of 100, this also counts for halogen energy savers. Philips compact fluorescent lamps have a CRI value between 80-85. Previous generations of energy savers, as well as many present unbranded energy savers, render an unnatural light, giving for example a greyish light. If a colour rendering index above 80-85 is needed for specific applications, energy efficient halogen lamps (halogen energy savers) with a CRI of 100 are recommended. 6. Can I dim energy savers? Yes, you can dim some energy savers. The new halogen energy savers and some compact fluorescent lamps (see special remark on the packaging) can be dimmed on common domestic dimmer switches.
7. Does frequent switching reduce the lifetime? A CFLi's life is hardly affected by switching any more. The current standards for 'Energy Saving Recommended' accreditation requires over 3,000 switching cycles per 8,000 hours of tested life which is sufficient more than would be necessary for normal domestic use. In case that lamps are switched frequently and are burning for less than 1 hour on averabe, we recommend a “heavy duty” Cfli (e.g. Cfli Longlife). Also in restrooms where the light is switched off again after a few minutes, the usage of an energy saver is not advisable.
8. Do compact fluorescent lamps use more energy during start up? There is no reason to keep a CFLi switched on for longer than a normal GLS bulb as they do not consume any extra energy during start up and run very efficiently immediately after the first 2 or 3 seconds.
9. Is there a special Energy saving lamp for outdoor use? Yes, there is a special energy saving lamp for outdoor use, the Exterieur. This lamp is specially made to to deal with a wider range of ambient temperatures and longer burning times.
10. Is it possible that Energy saving lamps disturb the correct functioning of my audio- or TV system? This phenomenon is caused by electro-magnetic interference. High quality products like Philips Energy Savers comply to global norms and specifications, which minimizes this effect.
11. Why can't Energy saving lamps be used in combination with special switches like movement detectors? All presently sold energy saving lamps make use of electronics to operate the lamp. The combination of most switches (like dusk-to-dawn or movement detection) with the electronics inside the lamp leads to very high in-rush currents causing damage to the lamp. To allow for a good combination we advise the use of sensor equipment with a relais (mechanical switch) or equipment with an additional built in resistor to protect the lamp.
12. Why do energy saving lamps contain small amounts of mercury? Energy saving fluorescent lamps are completely out of harm’s way. No mercury is emitted from lamps when in use, they are safe with regard to human health and the environment. They contain a very small amount of mercury in order to radiate light. Besides fluorescent lamps, the other energy saving lamp technologies do not use mercury, for instance halogen energy savers.
13. What to do with a compact fluorescent lamp when it burns out (proper disposal procedure)? In Europe, all CFLi lamps have to be disposed as special waste (under EWC Code 20 01 21-Fluorescent tubes and other mercury-containing waste). Furthermore, as part of its obligations under the EU’s WEEE Directive1), the European lighting industry has set up a European-wide recycling infrastructure, capable of recycling mercury, as well as other metals, glass, etc. All CFLi lamps are provided with the crossed-out wheeled dustbin logo. This means that they should not be disposed of in household waste but should be brought back to the shop or to the local waste facilities to be recycled.
1) The Waste Electrical and Electroni9c Equipment Directive (2002.96/EC) aims to minimize the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment. 14. What to do in case a lamp breaks (How to properly clean up, see previous paragraph)? Since energy saving fluorescent lamps are made of glass tubing and can break if dropped or roughly handled, care should be taken when removing the lamp from its packaging, installing or replacing it.
Breaking a lamp is extremely unlikely to have any impact on your health. Proper cleanup and adequate ventilation minimizes the impact even further. If a lamp brakes, ventilate the room for 20-30 minutes, remove the parts - preferably with gloves - and put them in closed plastic bag in the disposal bin. Better not use a vacuum cleaner so that the remaining parts will not stay in the filter. 15. How much energy does it take to produce a compact fluorescent lamp compared to a traditional incandescent lamp? It takes approximately five times more energy to produce one compact fluorescent lamp compared to one energy inefficient incandescent lamp. However, as CFLi lamps last on average between 6 to 15 times longer than energy inefficient incandescent lamps, the amount of energy needed for the production of one CFLi is comparable to the production of between 6 to 15 GLS lamps - hence the saving over the lifecycle of the product is much higher. Therefore, an energy saving CFL has a much lower overall environmental impact than an energy inefficient incandescent lamp throughout its lifecycle. More than 90% of energy consumed during the lifecycle of a lamp is in the usage phase and as CFLis are up to 80% more efficient than an average inefficient incandescent lamp, the savings are evident.
16. Is it dangerous when a compact fluorescent lamp brakes? Breaking a lamp is extremely unlikely to have any impact on your health. The effects of the exposure to mercury from a broken energy saver to the human body are so to speak not measurable. Only if several lamps would break every day, and you would be exposed to all of the mercury, there could be a health concern that needs to be assessed. A Cfli contains less than 5mg mercury per lamp. By comparison, a typical thermometer has between 500 and 3.000 milligrams of mercury, depending on its size. It would take 100 fluorescent lamps to equal that amount.
17. Can LEDs be used as an energy saving alternative to inefficient domestic lamps? However, this technology still requires further development before it can be used as a cost effective replacement for lamps in the home.
18. Do energy saving lamps cause medical problems? No. Energy saving lamps are completely safe to use. Philips complies with all relevant legislation and we ensure that our products do not affect your health. Our lamps bear the CE mark, meeting all the criteria of the EU legislation, which relate to protecting consumer safety.
More detailed information on questions related to health you can find on the website of the European Lamp Companies Federation. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||