Low energy light bulbs

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

In the past few weeks I got 6 free ones of these: 2 were sent by my electricity company and 4 by my gas company. If you think the latter is strange, don't worry. Our utility companies sell everything from diapers to dung these days.

I got some sort of mail shot with them rambling on about saving energy and the planet. I find that strangely hypocritical - surely their whole business raison d'etre is about guzzling energy not saving it. So why do they do it? Well to kiss arse with the Government and be able to say, 'Hey look, we are helping.' Meanwhile, their prices rise inexorably regardless of the cost of their input fuel, much of which is oil based and for which the price has fallen enormously in the last 6 months. It's no wonder they can afford to send out free bloody light bulbs.

So what did they send me? Well in tungsten lamp terms, it was 2 x 40W, 2 x 60 W and 2 x75W. 40W? What fucking use is that except to warm a fish tank or a seed germinator? And of course that only applies to the traditional lamp. The low energy version would be bloody useless. 60W, I think I may use in the toilet but they say that the things last for 3 or 4 years so I am good for urinating until 2015 then. 75W - well I tried one on the landing and it shed enough light (after 15 minutes warming up) for me to see my way around. I should hate to drop something though and have to search the carpet for it. Better I wait until daylight.

Right now, so many organisations are running around like headless chickens trying to 'look green' and making empty futile gestures like this one. Time they built more atomic reactors and poured zillions into fusion for that is the way of tomorrow.