Honestly now: who has low-energy bulbs, and how many? Poll

[M'Lady]

But, but...!

What is the point of using energy saving lightbulbs when the aforementioned supermarkets, petrol stations, football stadia, fast food restaurants etc, clearly don't?

Are you all not wasting your time (and energy!) trying to be eco-friendly when the corporate beasts (businesses) don't really care?

No.

(Do we have to quote the Tesco ad again?)

[Roo]

Are you all not wasting your time (and energy!) trying to be eco-friendly when the corporate beasts (businesses) don't really care?

I really do hate to quote WIBs and get him more cash from Tesco, but, 'Every little helps'.....

[Somerset Squall]

But, but...!

What is the point of using energy saving lightbulbs when the aforementioned supermarkets, petrol stations, football stadia, fast food restaurants etc, clearly don't?

Are you all not wasting your time (and energy!) trying to be eco-friendly when the corporate beasts (businesses) don't really care?

If everyone had that opinion then we would get nowhere. Are you saying that because supermarkets/petrol stations etc do little or nothing to save energy that you aren't going to bother?

[The Penguin]

I'd agree.....those people who drive gas-guzzling jags can't help either....

[runs away]

To be fair we were discussing 'in the house', and I very seldom drive the jag in the house.

[Duncan McAlister]

It is estimated that 16 billion tons of carbon would be prevented from being added to the world's atmosphere over the next 25 years if we all changed to low-energy bulbs. Yet, polls suggest a stark contrast between what we say we do about stopping AGW, and what we actually do. So here's the first of what may be several polls (!) to test how we perform on NW! No need for any embarassment ... it's anonymous, but interesting!

Between about 1/4 and 1/2. Every bulb that needs replaced will be an energy efficient one, but I don't see any point in replacing them all at once because then it's a waste of incandescent bulbs (carbon is produced in their manufacture in the first place). Totally agree with Mondy about the 24 hour supermarkets, it is obscene that citizens are pressured into doing "their bit" but business is free to waste - another example is leaving doors open in the winter and the incredible powerful heaters they use above the doors to compensate for this :lol: . Damn you've got me started lol.

[Gray-Wolf]

But, but...!

What is the point of using energy saving lightbulbs when the aforementioned supermarkets, petrol stations, football stadia, fast food restaurants etc, clearly don't?

Are you all not wasting your time (and energy!) trying to be eco-friendly when the corporate beasts (businesses) don't really care?

This isn't the little Red Hen you know!

I don't see the point of 'not doing this if they don't' as it isn't a very morally sound defense is it?

It is about how you feel about yourself not tempering your behaviour to match those of the worst offenders.

[Mondy]

Jeez, i so despair. Has everyone been PM'ing each other this morning and agreeing to agree on every post?

A forum debate needs just this - debate/counter - it'd be a bit boring if we all just nodded and took everything with a pinch of salt.

Apologies, WiB for thread drift.

[Devonian]

But, but...!

What is the point of using energy saving lightbulbs when the aforementioned supermarkets, petrol stations, football stadia, fast food restaurants etc, clearly don't?

Are you all not wasting your time (and energy!) trying to be eco-friendly when the corporate beasts (businesses) don't really care?

As other have said, you've allready said this. Answer to your question: Do you drop litter?

[Somerset Squall]

Jeez, i so despair. Has everyone been PM'ing each other this morning and agreeing to agree on every post?

A forum debate needs just this - debate/counter - it'd be a bit boring if we all just nodded and took everything with a pinch of salt.

Apologies, WiB for thread drift.

Perhaps it's because your opinion on the matter isn't widely held by others.

[Mondy]

As other have said, you've allready said this. Answer to your question: Do you drop litter?

I'll give you better than that. I'm a postie and we all know what they drop. Rubber bands. However, i'm a clean postie and pocket all bands or put back in my pouch. Dropping litter isn't something i do also. I really don't see the need considering bins are everywhere nowadays.

Perhaps it's because your opinion on the matter isn't widely held by others.

Fair comment. It's just that, an opinion.

[Devonian]

I'll give you better than that. I'm a postie and we all know what they drop. Rubber bands. However, i'm a clean postie and pocket all bands or put back in my pouch. Dropping litter isn't something i do also. I really don't see the need considering bins are everywhere nowadays.

Ok, round in a circle, but, why do you bother not to drop rubber bands if all the rest do it? I suspect becuase you think it's wrong to drop litter even if other people do - I agree. Same applies to changing to efficient lighting :lol:

Fair comment. It's just that, an opinion.

I like opinions, you're entitled to them! I just like to see the beef of 'em.

Trouble is much of the sceptic stuff is just gristle, you chew and chew on it hoping for something worthwhile ( and I do!), get nothing out, and end up chuking it away secretly knowing you should have done that in the first place. Next thing you know some bright spark (usually one of a handfull of the usual suspects) has re packaged the gristle as 'New evidence of how wrong those warmers are' or ''Proof' the models are wrong' or 'It was warm in the past so what?' or 'Those warmers, they'll send us back to the stone age' and we all start chewing again

Why humans have to go through this process beats me. My best answer so far is: ask an Easter Islander.

Edited February 1, 2007 by Devonian

[flagpole]

I do try to use energy-efficient bulbs.

Although my daylight bulbs that I use for painting are, I fear, dreadfully inefficient. And I also use an S.A.D. lamp in the winter months.

I have also started unplugging my phone charger which is something I never used to do.

[pottyprof]

Anyway.. Back on topic.. Around the house..

The only 2 bulbs that are not energy saving are the one in the kids bedroom as the dimmer switch will not take a florescent bulb and the garden floodlight.

The floodlight is on a sensor system that has an extremely low power draw on standby and has a 12 second delay before turning off. It has a 150w bulb and lights up just as much area as a 300w bulb. I'd do away with the sensor completely but it's dark around the backs and it's a shared right of way. Just want to make sure the ladies all feel safe.

The green house and garden lights are all solar powered, using a couple of car batteries for storage and a regulator system I salvaged from an old power supply. I'm toying with the idea of using this system to power the house lighting too..

[ghrud]

Well, you asked for honesty so i've clicked the last option.

One little point. Is it not a bit fruitless if i were to use low energy bulbs considering 24hr supermarkets and petrol stations are hardly doing their "doing bit". Just think of the megawatts, in total, places like those use.

I thought supermarkets mostly used strip lighting which is low energy. Besides two wrongs don't make a right. :lol:

[blitzen]

All bulbs in our house are energy efficient - for two reasons! (1) Our local Council distributes them for free. (2) Are you kidding? with the cost of power nowadays I certainly would not be one for burning anything that costs me more than it already does! Probably selfish reasons - but no more selfish than the Power Companies with their extortionate profits! having said that, every little helps and I suppose I do my bit as much as I can with recycling etc.

Blitzen.

[kar999]

We have changed some of the bulbs to low energy where the fittings will accommodate them. Most cheap energy saving bulbs are larger than the standard incandescent bulb and either won’t fit at all or poke out above the lamp shade. Currently the smaller energy saving bulbs cost considerably more. One to fit an outside light of mine was over £5. It would be almost cheaper to buy a new fitting. But rather than throw out perfectly good lamps and shades into landfill sites, for now, wherever possible in these instances, we have fitted lower wattage traditional bulbs.

[Snowly does it]

Between half and all - some fittings need changing before the remainder can change.

[eddie]

Only my kitchen doesn't have energy saving bulbs since it's got spotlight fittings. Every other room in the house does though.

I mainly fitted the energy saving bulbs to save money rather than to stop global warming. Apart from lighting, my only other electric usage is the TV, computer and washing machine so using energy saving bulbs has knocked quite a bit off my electricity bill.

I did have this thought though... If everyone starts being very energy efficient will the electricity generating companies will have to put up their prices to avoid loosing money because they are selling much less electricity?

Edited February 2, 2007 by eddie

[VillagePlank]

I've got four kids; and the pesky little chaps and chappesses always leave the bloody lights on. Had nearly all my lights as low energy for years. Have to be honest it's got nothing to do with lowering my carbon footprint, though, simply they last longer, and are cheaper when the lights are left on all day and all night.

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

Just one or two left now. I'm not sure of the wisdom of waiting until normal bulbs go before replacing them with energy saving bulbs, but it just go's against the grain to replace something which still works.

I do however find it incredible that when a conventional bulb fails people don't replace it with an energy saving one, like I find it incredible people leave lights/appliances on when they aren't using them, that they don't bother seperating waste/recycling, (often because 'the council doesn't collect', or even worse 'the council expects them to seperate different wastes into different boxes which is too much trouble' !!!!!!!!!!!!!), like people will sit in their cars in jams for many minutes at a time without switching off.

Is it really so hard to take recycling to the nearest disposal centre yourself ?????, to turn a car engine off and on ?????, to take a moment just to think about personal responsibility - clearly for many people it is. And why is that ??? - it must be a mixture of selfishness, laziness, ignorance and probably too much money, which is what I find most depressing. I look forward to the era when the cost of energy consumption much more accurately reflects the impact it is having, because I'm sure when those energy bills really start to bite then things will start to change !

[West is Best]

PFTD - I really like what you have posted above. One of the reasons I started this thread (and for instance didn't look at employers etc. etc.) is that I wanted to ask ourselves what we are actually doing. It seems that now a large proportion of us on here do now accept humans are contributing to the climate change taking place. The question then is: well what are we doing about it ourselves in our own lives, even if it's a small way? I aim this very much at myself. I've bleated on about the problem, and berated governments, but I have to act. I did change all my bulbs, but I could do so much more ...

Just as a point of interest. When you start a car does that not kick out more Co2 than when you leave it running on idle? Or is that tosh?!

[WindWatcher]

I also thought that these low energy lamps worked on the same principle as florescent tubes in that it was better to leave them on for short periods than to turn them on and off, or is that just an urban myth?

I have found the answer myself: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/user_tips_for_c.php

It is worth reading as they don't recommend using energy efficient bulbs for all situations.

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

Just as a point of interest. When you start a car does that not kick out more Co2 than when you leave it running on idle? Or is that tosh?!

Is this only true if the engine is revved heavily immediately after starting ? (as a lot of us do however), and also that the automatic choke will increase the mix (fuel to air ratio) only when the engine is cold. In theory, in a well maintained engine that is already warmed up there should be a minimal difference in the amount of fuel delivered to the cylinders at ignition compared to at tick-over I think

With regards to the rest of the post, I just feel that, because there is a reasonable possibility that GW is to some extent being exacerbated by human activity, it is not good enough to not do anything because 'it doesn't make any difference'. There are two levels to this - if it is eventually proved beyond any reasonable doubt the human activity has contributed, then every single one of us has a responsibility to do whatever we can, however small and insignificant that may appear. And if it turns out that human activity was not a contributing factor, then making those changes won't have harmed anything anyway, and in many ways a lot of the measures which can be taken on a small scale are worthwhile anyway from a cost perspective and from a perspective of reducing needless resource usage and reducing needless waste.

Edited February 2, 2007 by Pennine Ten Foot Drifts

[kar999]

Is it really so hard to take recycling to the nearest disposal centre yourself ?????

Unless your local recycling centre is en route to somewhere you would normally travel to then often the resources used in fuel making a special journey there outweigh the resources saved. Fortunately many bottle/paper banks are situated on supermarket car parks. Even though the supermarkets are frequently 'out of town' ... but that's another argument.

Our general 'tip' is miles away from us but fortunately our council have a 'Big Rubbish' collection twice a year where bulky items such as cookers etc will be taken away.

For those that don't want to line Tescos pockets further, Aldi have an offer on bulbs from Sunday @ 99p

http://uk.aldi.com/sunday_special_buys/productnl_616.html

Edited February 2, 2007 by kar999

[frostynikkers]

I think for anyone who continues to disbelieve the evidence for global warming - ask a polar bear...

I think the attitude of "why should I bother when the big global corporations don't", is preposterous. If we all used energy saving bulbs, recycled all our rubbish and resticted driving our cars, it would make a huge difference. Its not the individual effort, but the tens of millions of every man making that individual effort across the globe that makes the difference to climatic change and pollution, which is why in my opinion there is no excuse for the ignorant to not do anything about it. I think such blind people should do some research. But, regardless of the details, until The US and emerging Asian countries accept and do something real about the amount of chemicals they are pumping into the seas and sky, the problem will continue. Unfortunately that is less important to the governments than making money today, and letting future pen pushers worry about it, its a viscious circle, and in the meantime, another part of the earth dies. How much of the planet has been de-forested in the last 200 years? How can this not affect the climate...

I try to use energy saving bulbs, I recycle everything that can be, but in Cambridge they are very hot on recycling and its impossible not to, as bins are collected fortnightly. Since re-cycling I find in two weeks the black bin is still barely full, compared to me previously having to have to squeeze the lid down, which shows just how much I used to throw away needlessly. I also do not drive, rely on short trips on buses. Another point is that if people are supposed to get out of their cars, make the public transport efficient and affordable, and stop putting prices up for bus tickets twice a year for an underfunded and late service with bad routes, rude drivers and dirty buses.