REALLY REALLY ANGRY (edit: not so much now thanks to wonderful people)

[avevale_intelligencer]

Okay, can we set down some basic principles here?

1. Partially sighted people need as much light as they can get.

2. Especially in places where there isn't much ambient light, like the top of staircases and such.

3. Energy saving bulbs--and I am NOT taking any argument on this, because I as a fully sighted person have noted it as well--DO NOT give the light equivalents they claim. Not when they're first switched on, not an hour later, not ever. They just don't. It's a fact. The packaging on those bulbs simply lies.

The 150w bulbs which give the Countess the ability to read not-too-large print in relative comfort went long ago. I have half a dozen I bought online. Now Tesco and Focus are out of 100w bulbs and will not be getting any more.

We are writing to the RNIB to find out what to do. And if my wife falls down the stairs and breaks her neck because she can't see, I will not be responsible for my actions. it's bad enough that we can't afford to replace the worn carpet at the moment. In semi-darkness that landing is going to be a deathtrap.

I'm swapping out bulbs from parts of the house where she mostly doesn't go, because it doesn't matter if I can't see, and I'm going to be looking for an online source. Saving the planet is one thing. Keeping Jan alive and unharmed is more important to me.

EDIT: and once again I am reminded how blessed I am in my wealth of friends. Thank you for all suggestions and links.

Changing the fittings to put in halogens or whatever is a little on the tricky side for me because the house's wiring is antiquated (and yes we know it needs rewiring) and all the wires that come out of the ceiling are either black or red and I have no idea which is what and don't want to blow up the house. Also money is too tight for putting in floor lighting and such like at the moment. But all these things will be borne in mind for when I am once again emplucted (please gods) and in the mean time the links will hopefully mean I can get hold of the blubs I need.

Bless you. *hugs everyone*

Comments

[m-danson.livejournal.com]

Is it that you can't find 100w and 150w energy saving bulbs? Or that the ones you do find don't work?

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I really don't know what to suggest, but that is a very serious issue and I hope you can find a way to ensure that Jan's safety and quality of life are not compromised.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

In those regions, do you have fixtures with (parabolic) reflective backs, so that as much of the bulb's light as possible gets where it needs to be? I find them incredibly useful. Also, many of them are rated for low wattage bulbs, but they can be used with higher-wattage-equivalent CF bulbs because the concern is heat -- which is based on actual wattage.

If that solution doesn't work, you might consider bulbs that themselves are reflective-backed (generally marketed as "spotlight" bulbs here). Those do tend to be higher-wattage and run hotter, however.

Good luck getting this one solved quickly. Health and safety issues are priority one, always.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

150w and 200w lightbulbs... just over £1 each (plus vat and postage)

Scroll down to the bottom, don't buy the ES bulbs by mistake (ES = Edison Screw, US and Ikea light fittings!)

or four 150w bulbs for £10 delivered

[coth.livejournal.com]

These guys sell a very wide range of low-energy lightbulbs by mail order including some that are hard or impossible to find in shops - not necessarily cheap but efficient and free delivery on orders over £25. They do 150w equivalent bulbs that only use 30w - we have them in our kitchen.

http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com

[keristor.livejournal.com]

They may do CFL bulbs which the manufacturers /say/ give an equivalent of 150W, I very much doubt if the actual light output is actually equivalent. I have never found any CFL bulbs which actually give anywhere near the supposed equivalent rating.

(However, even one rated at 150W equivalent will be better than one rated at 100W equivalent, which are the best I can find in shops.)

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

I use 150W equiv in my living room, bought online from a specialist shop; it is ferociously bright and we had to shade it. I think it is easily the equivalent of a 100W; might not quite touch a 150.

[coth.livejournal.com]

Oh, and they are UK based in Hertfordshire.

[coth.livejournal.com]

Or even Bucks - sorry.

[little-cinnamon.livejournal.com]

Here's what the RNIB says, for what it's worth:

http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/PublicWebsite/public_eflighting.hcsp

Not very many answers in there, sadly, but it may be of some help...

*hugs* to both of you.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that pointer.

I note that they say that CFLs are not suitable for hall and stair areas, due to the long warm-up period. The solution to that is of course to leave the things on all of the time, thus negating the energy savings (but satisfying the bureaucrats). I do the same with my lounge light, because that takes a very long time to warm up (10 minutes or so to get to a level I can stand, I freak out with low levels especially when they are very red).

The RNIB also saw get a CFL a watt higher than the 'equivalent' rating would suggest. Very good idea -- except that no shop I've seen stocks CFLs above a 100W equivalent rating.

There are also no CFLs I've seen in the 'reflective mini-spot' (R63, R80) shape. However I've been stockpiling replacements for several years, I think I have enough of those to last my lifetime now...

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Ah, Tescos have the reflective mini-spots as I nearly bought some to replace the bulbs in my bathroom, then remembered I was renting the place out and it would be the tenant that would have to replace them, so opted for the standard reflects for under a pound rather than the fair bit more expensive CFL reflects.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Hmm, not last time I looked in mine. It may be only in some, I'll try at the big Tesco. (Oh, I also need them in ES fitting, which may be a factor.) Thanks.

(What I'd really like would be LED ones, which really are efficient, around half the power of CFLs for the same light and a lot longer life, but they don't seem to be available in mains-powered versions yet. Several years I gather before they hit the shelves at reasonable price.)

[occams_pyramid]

LED is the obvious way to go long-term, but there are some technical issues that still need to be fixed before they're usable as light-bulb replacements.

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

Try Maplins - our branch has several versions of mains-powered LED bulbs - we have them in our bedroom. (But I'm not currently impressed with the light levels)

[keristor.livejournal.com]

As far as I can see from their online system only GU10 (halogen style) fitting, not either BC or ES standard fittings.

[fleetfootmike.livejournal.com]

http://www.lamps2udirect.com/pages/fullProd.php/Standard-GLS-Bulb/38

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

My Ma-in-Law has similar issues (Adult Onset Stargardt's, macular issues and diabetic retinopathy). She finds that it isn't so much that the light is dimmer - it is just of a different quality, and a particularly unhelpful quality at that.

My Pa-in-Law has put halogen light fittings in the crucial places, and trained the spotlights on the danger areas. She finds this actually works better than the old filament lights, as the increasing light levels help to pinpoint a danger to watch out for... The light fittings are actually fairly cheap, so cost needn't be a problem.

We've also been working with changing textures to pinpoint trip hazards as well - removing carpets and changing to hard surfaces to telegraph problems. We're all aware that this isn't a problem that is going to get better, and one day no lightbulb will help at all.

Lots of task lighting has helped Sylv - the quality of halogen task lighting seems most helpful with the retinal problems, FWIW.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the energy efficiant bulbs - they also seem to be light efficient. We have to have four or five on in the living room to get the same effect as one 100w...

It brings to mind the Spenser line: "A little glooming light, much like a shade".

I do hope you manage to find something for Jan. I admit to wondering how my mother, with her deteriorating vision, is going to fare.

[occams_pyramid]

I get the strong impression that the greatly overstated equivalent light output is there so that they can overstate the energy saving and prove how wonderful they are to impose those bulbs.

[the-changeling.livejournal.com]

What about installing lights down at floor level, at the right points? We had a small area of hall that was causing David problems a couple of houses back, and we put plug-in nightlights into the sockets on the skirting board where the problem was.

I know every eye-light issue is different, but it might be worth thinking floor level, if the issue is the top of the stairs. Hope that makes sense.

[x-mass.livejournal.com]

um would this be useful for 150W bulbs?
http://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/product/detail.php?id=3750

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Not about lighting but indication. When we had the walls painted after moving into our row house, the question arose of where on the staircase wall to put the boundary between the dark color of the downstairs wall and the light color of the upstairs hall.

I told the painter, "Carry the downstairs color all the way up the staircase wall, and put the boundary on a vertical line right at the edge of the top step."

"OK, I'll put it at the break in the molding" [i.e., where the horizontal molding that runs above the hall baseboard meets the molding that runs along the baseboard on the stair]

"No, not there! I want it exactly at the edge of the step!"

"All right, but why?"

"So when I'm carrying something downstairs and can't see my feet, I can see the paint line out of the corner of my eye and not go like the coyote:

Baf- / Vtv / ef.x | Q / Vtv / ef.,Q,v!@!..

"
[i.e., walking forward and over the edge, pausing suspended in midair just long enough to realize, and falling precipitously while flailing around madly]

He laughed and agreed. It really does help a lot, especially since dunkelpig's been sick and we've been having more meals together on the bed than just dinner dessert and occasional breakfasts. It's hard enough not tripping over the cat, without having to worry about the edge of the stair.

[armb.livejournal.com]

100W halogen, from B&Q: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9279666&ecamp=trf-005&CAWELAID=266966608

Homebase etc. have equivalents.

Brighter than a standard 100W bulb, and more efficient (though less efficient than a CFL).

[armb.livejournal.com]

It's a bit longer than a standard bulb, but almost certainly wouldn't need new fittings the way a GU10 downlighter would, just plug in existing fitting. If a CFL fits, so does the halogen.

On the "it's not just the amount of light, it's the quality" front, "daylight" CFLs vary enormously, but some do actually seem to have a better spectrum, not just a higher colour temperature (bluer). They're more expensive and less efficient of course.

(And red is live, black is neutral. At a junction box with cables to both light and switch, black is neutral, red is live (ring circuit and to the switch, and to the light), black with a red tape around it is switched live (coming back from the switch). If whoever wired it followed the rules.)

[lutos.livejournal.com]

I've heard that the European Union has declared war on convential lightbulbs and are fading out the production of it, so that might be part of your problem.

I was once absolutely FOR the energy-saving variant (all for the planet) and have stuffed the fittings in my house with them, but I have to admit that there's
a) no way those lamps create the same light as normal ones, let alone nice, warm, comfortable light,
b) even I have problems seeing things in the coldish light they create (and I have installed 100w lamps in the hallway), let alone seeing colors correctly for my work, and
c) it seems that people, due to the 'cold' light they emit, tend to raise the temperature in their rooms - which is surely the effect they wished for in Brussels!


If you need me to send you 150w lamps from here, just shout. I'm sure Greece will disobey EU-rules for quite some time to come. ;)

[hrrunka]

has declared war on convential lightbulbs

...or something like that. While wandering round the newly-rearranged Sainsbury's near home I noticed that the light-bulb manufacturers seem to have taken two approaches in addition to the CFL one the EU seems to want them to follow. One is to sell higher-wattage versions of small or curiously-shaped incandescent bulbs which wouldn't previously have been sold with ratings any higher than 40W. The other is to sell bulbs with halogen internals but standard fittings. Unfortunately the latter, which promise the better results light-intensity-wise), are currently being sold at silly (well, they seemed silly to me) prices.

[occams_pyramid]

Are 100W any use? I bought large boxes to save money just before the change over. I have a box of 5 x 100W sitting on a shelf.

You don't seem to be listed for the con - mongol via Mike R?

[bardling.livejournal.com]

*hugs* to you both, and hopefully among all the helpful suggestions you'll find some that work well for you.

[infobits.livejournal.com]

I recall seeing a flexible rope of small lights which could be used under counters, etc. Perhaps a string of these, along the edges of pathways, might not be too expensive an option for navigation lighting.

Also, the use of strong contrast colors along edges really helps - I have lousy vision and nearly killed myself falling down stairs in a play when I tried to do it without my glasses. While they had put a contrast edge on it, it needed to be much wider for me to see it. It may help to determine how wide that is for the countess, so you can paint stair edges accordingly.

A local craft store may carry full-spectrum task lighting lamps (both floor and table top models), some with magnifiers, for sewing and beading. These lights (one brand is Ott) may be very useful for her reading.

BJ
aka "Miss Myopia" ... and presbyopia, and retinopathy!

[tig-b.livejournal.com]

The BBC are now reporting in this - hopefully some more publicity will help?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7848859.stm

meanwhile if I see any suitable bulbs I can pass them on.

[tig-b.livejournal.com]

I've found some on ebay - 100 and 150, mostly pearl but a few clear.

With bayonet or screw fittings, which do you need?

[aunty_marion]

Bayonet, almost certainly, I'd think.... I've got half an eye out myself for any left-over stock.