*Bob*

Fear not, parker.. when the 'next generation' energy-saving bulbs go on the market, everyone will be urged to upgrade the bulbs they bought in the first place and the skips will be overflowing with the old mercury-addled bulbs.. still all with six years life left in them. Hooray!

It's easy to 'not want one, actually' when you know there's no chance of getting one. Of course, if a new tube were to be announced tomorrow to run from ED direct to some useful central destination, 99% of EDF'ers would poo their collective pants with glee.

Hee hee.. nice rant, Mockney! Naturally I imagine you there at home, in your teepee, wind turbine blowing gently in the breeze as you cycle to your allotment to harvest your crop of self-sustaining veg?

Capt B - these bulbs are just the same as every other energy-saving bulb. 2700k 'warm whites'. There is nothing better than this on the market yet - unless someone out there knows different?! By the time incandescents are outlawed I'm sure energy-saving bulb manufacturers will have got their arses in gear and made a product which emits a pleasing light.. and when they do, I'll be the first in line to buy some.

Mockney, All I (and I assume Geh and P-Folly) are actually waiting for is an improvement in the technology.. nobody bought a hydrid car 10 years ago because they were rubbish (and prototype-expensive). If all you have at home are standard pendants hanging from the ceiling and all you want in them is *some light* to fill them then energy-saving bulbs are for you - enjoy the financial savings and pat yourself on the back for saving the world. However, if light quality is important to you then, like me, you'll be waiting a year of two for the bulbs to improve. If it eases anyone's pain, I buy everything locally, compost, recycle, don't drive a car, work from home and hardly ever fly. My indulgence is that I just don't want to live and work inside what feels like the inside of a refrigerator.

I'm afraid I'm with P-Folly. I bought low-energy saving bulbs to replace all my lamps a year or so ago but have reverted back to a mixture of (mostly) incandescent bulbs, some LEDs and one low-energy bulb. The light quality from them is truly PANTS - yes, even the 2700k 'warm white' (ha ha!) ones. When the technology gets better, I'll have another go!

Governments love a 'war on drugs'. Why? Because it has instant 'yes!' appeal with a significant part of the electorate; because it goes on indefinitely (for it can never be won) and because it's easier to be seen to tackle the symptom than it is to attempt to tackle the cause. Every week MANY millions of people in this country (teachers, gardeners, nurses, policemen, secretaries, mechanics, civil servants, bin men etc etc I speak from experience) pick their drug of choice (and I won't be conveniently leaving out alcohol here either!) and still manage to keep their jobs, pay their mortgages, stay in relationships, bring their kids up, and get to Tesco before it shuts. How do they manage this? Because they have a LIFE which keeps their tendencies in check.

SimonM Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- I do wonder though why > the Council cannot compulsorily purchase it and > then lease it at a peppercorn to someone prepared > to restore it? I do like the idea of leasing it as a peppercorn. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds lovely.

Hee hee, I shall bear this in mind whenever I reply to any of your postings

The status-symbol that really gets on my pip is the dreaded BUGABOO. Indeed, I'm sure it would be possible to calculate average house price in ED by adding up the number of Bugaboos which pass William Rose in any given hour and multiplying by X. Surely there are better things to spend ones money on that things that are solely to be 'seen with'?!

Beware!.. Now that I am registered my POSTINGS will have all the more IMPACTB)

Opera this, rss aggregator that.. you're just showing off now.