Turned off by low energy bulbs?

Since moving into a new house a few years ago, we've been slowly replacing the ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving ones.

Everything has gone reasonably well, but there are a few lessons learned. As they seem to be the same things that turn other people off low energy lamps, I thought they were worth sharing.

CFLs

A CFL Bulb
Image credit: Nroose

These are fluorescent light bulbs, and are what most people think of as "energy saving". However, I had two issues.

Firstly, they were not very bright, especially for the first few minutes. This was a problem on the stairs - but it was easily cured by buying a slightly higher powered bulb. It still uses less energy than the filament bulb it replaced.

Second were the energy costs to transport the bulbs all the way from China, where most of them seem to be made. I eventually found some made in Hungary, which is at least closer to home; though they probably go by road, so I can't really tell if they're greener.

LEDs

LED bulbs use less energy than CFLs, they switch on instantly, and they don't need to "warm up" to give their full brightness.

LED bulbs
Image credit: Fcancela

Most of the cheap 1 watt LED bulbs are very dim, and I found they are best suited for background or decorative lighting. They tend to have a clean white light that is easier to see by, but it can look harsh compared to a normal bulb.

More modern LED bulbs are rated at 3 watts and above. There are some that are designed to mimic the warm colour of a normal bulb, rather than the brilliant white light normally associated with LEDs. And, in a contrast to normal energy saving bulbs, I found I could get away with a lower powered bulb than I expected, even though it was one of the "warm" ones.

LED bulbs cost a lot more than CFLs (£15 upwards), but they use even less energy and last a very long time. I calculated that they'll pay for themselves in a few years in our kitchen, where they have replaced halogen downlights.

A bright idea!
Image credit: Oscarjosue

Replacement

I tried to replace the old bulbs only when they blew. Despite the fact that the newer bulbs use less energy, there's still a lot of energy used in their manufacture. Besides which, there's no point throwing away something in working order!

The Verdict

I'm convinced that energy-saving bulbs *can* work well. But as with many things, it helps to have a bit of insight, and not pay too much attention to marketing hype.

Image credits:

"Cuerpo humano jaqaru" by Oscarjosue, CC-BY-SA licence. Obtained via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuerpo humano jaqaru.jpg.

"Compact fluorescent straight" by Nroose, public domain. Obtained via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Compact_fluorescent_straight.jpg.

LED lights based on an original image "Green Ray Lights" by Fcancela, Free Art Licence 1.3  Obtained via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green Ray Lights.jpg.

Making money from the sun?

A close relative was visiting us at the weekend, enthusing about a new money-making scheme she'd signed up to: solar panels.

A salesman had called round, and sold her a grid-connected system - in other words, the solar electricity she doesn't use gets put back into the electricity supply network for others to use. And, because she's effectively running a miniature power station, she gets paid for doing so.

The salesman estimated that the system would pay for itself in 6 years. But this seemed overly optimistic, given the small size of the system he quoted. The government has publicly said that they will subsidise the payments to solar generators for many years to come. But there's something about politicians' promises, in combination with salesmans' promises, that made me feel uneasy.

Thankfully, another relative used to work for a renewable energy company, so we were able to support our opinions: solar PV may be a good way to help save the planet, but we don't view it as a get-rich-quick scheme.

Thankfully, there's a cooling-off period on the contract, so there's time to reconsider.

Is there really a money-making opportunity in solar PV panels? And where does the money come from?

(photo credit: Solar Panels by Ell Brown, licenced under Creative Commons CC-BY licence, obtained via http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/7083596231 )

Beyond marketing: juice concentrate

When I look at fruit juice labels, I always find the phrases "not from concentrate" or "made with concentrated juice". I often wondered what this meant, and why concentrated juice is usually cheaper.

But is one really better than the other? I did some research, and found that the answer is far from clear cut.

Concentrates start as fresh fruit juice, but some of the water is evaporated. The resulting concentrated juice takes up less space, and uses less energy to transport. If you're shipping orange juice from (let's say) Brazil to Europe, that seems a pretty important consideration. Eventually, when the concentrate arrives at the juice factory, the missing water is added back in and the juice is delivered to the shops.

Juice marked "not from concentrate" doesn't go through this process. This makes it sound fresher, because it's squeezed closer to home. But it does mean that the whole fruit has travelled further, as opposed to just the juice from the fruit - which means more Food Miles.

In terms of nutrients, the government's "five a day" campaign makes no distinction between types of juice - one glass of juice equals one portion of fruit.

Which gives something of a dilemma. Unprocessed and fresh, or fewer food miles: which do you go for?

(Photo credit: Orange juice carton by Gerald_G (CC0/public domain licence). Obtained via: http://openclipart.org/detail/9149/fast-food-drinks-juice-orange-by-gerald_g )

Spring has sprung

 'Tis the season for spring cleaning (almost) - which often means getting rid of clutter, as much as dusting and polishing.

This time last year, we had a dilemma in our house. There was a pile of stuff that we no longer used. It had too much life left in it, so I didn't want to take it to the dump. But at the same time it didn't have any resale value. What to do?

First up was an old dining table with 4 chairs. They were made of solid wood, but there were some stains and scratches on the table top, and the chairs were looking battered and worn. It was all very sturdy though, and would be great for someone who fancied a project sanding them down and re-varnishing them.

But would anyone bother with a DIY repair project when it's so cheap to buy new? (under £100)

Yes, apparently they would! The table and chairs went on Freecycle, and within a couple of hours 2 people had offered to come and collect them. They were picked up the following evening.

Next was a large pine cupboard with a missing handle and a broken drawer. This went to a local charity who give work training to people who have recovered from substance abuse. It helped someone to learn joinery skills, and the repaired unit was sold to help fund the charity. Everybody wins.

Just goes to show that there are places for unwanted and unsaleable items, besides taking them to the dump! Have you found any others?

(Photo credit: Broom Closet by wayne's eye view, CC-BY licence, obtained via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynewilkinson/6168162597)

Earth Hour

http://www.earthhour.org

Do you fancy an atmospheric, candle-lit night in? Well, here's a great reason to have one.

Earth Hour has been running for several years now, and is supported by WWF, the World Wildlife Fund. The idea is to switch off your lights for one hour, starting at 8.30pm on 31 March. This has three purposes:

 1. It's a fun way to save energy and money.
 2. It's a good reminder of how reliant we are on energy, and what things might be like if we were without it.
 3. It's also a good time to reflect on our own energy use, and how it might affect the environment.

In our house, we joined in last time by having candlelit snacks and a few board games. However, ours was the only house in the street with the lights off. I'm glad to see that this could radically change this year, as WWF are predicting that hundreds of millions of people around the world will be involved. All will be switching off their lights at 8.30pm local time, creating a kind of ripple across the globe.

I've already seen posters in the local community (with the title "60+ : Go beyond the hour"). The WWF have also scored a coup by signing up many famous landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower in France to Sydney Opera House in Australia. It looks like this year could be a big one!

The WWF have a site explaining more about the campaign here: http://www.earthhour.org , and there's a UK-specific site here: http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk .

It's in the bag... already

Reusing shopping bags is something I'm trying to make a habit of.

So, off I go shopping, and actually remember to take some bags along to reuse. I arrive at the checkout, look for my wallet, and when I look back... all my items are in a store carrier bag. The assistant smiles back, happy that they've packed so many things in so little time. Like 10 milliseconds.

I've even had this happen to me when I've already put my empty bags on the counter. It seems that many sales assistants use new bags automatically, especially if they're busy, as it saves time waiting for people to unfold their reusable bags.

In the small stores where I regularly shop, I'm trying to actively point out that I've brought my own bags. Even so, the assistant in one shop refused to listen, and pointed to a tiny hole my carrier bag. She then double-bagged my purchase (two more bags!) to "make sure it all gets home safely". Arggghh!

On the other hand, I sometimes manage to dispense with bags altogether. Like at lunchtime, when I walk off with a sandwich, a drink and a bag of nuts, using nothing more than my bare hands. "Are you sure you don't need a bag?", they say. "You've got a couple of items there". I'm sure the shop staff think I'm some kind of balancing act who has escaped from the circus.

What are your experiences of trying to re-use shopping bags?

(Photo credit: "carrier_bags" adapted from an original by "How can I recycle this", licenced under CC-BY licence; obtained via http://www.flickr.com/photos/recyclethis/167934944/ )

Reducing food waste

I always feel guilty when I end up throwing good food away.

I try to avoid over-buying when I go shopping, and always check the Use By dates before I buy. But sometimes meal plans change, and things get lost at the back of the fridge.

I looked in the fridge last night and saw a pack of butter that was hiding at the back. It's Best Before date was 31 May. That may not sound bad, but I realised that it meant May last year - when I bought it.

I'd been checking the butter regularly though, and it always smelled fine and there had been nothing growing on it. So yesterday I tasted a bit - and it was fine.

So I've made some chocolate chip flapjack with butter that's a year out of date. Talk about reducing waste to the extreme! I'm eating the first couple with my morning coffee today, and if you see me posting again, you'll know I haven't poisoned myself!

What's your record for (safely) consuming out of date items? (that's a question, not a challenge!)