ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Australia to phase out standard light bulbs

Now Europe has decided to ban incandescent bulbs too. 'Course, no discussions with us poor saps who don't live in grace and favor residences and that actually have to buy bulbs and pay for our electricity. A recent BBC survey showed all Gummint offices in London ablaze with light with all the staff long home abed. One new Gummint building had all the lights on, even though the builders are still working on it and had all buggered off home at 3.30. The Home Office even managed somehow to increase its energy use by 40% in one of the mildest UK winters since the Romans.

Luckily for me, the French will tell Brussels to get discomknotterificated as usual, so I'm not fussed.

Alan

Aren't 12V and 230V dichroics and Tungsten Halogen lamps incandescent as well?.
Look at all the shop diplay lighting around the place, that seem to burn 24/7.
And if you want to get really silly, what about all the PAR 38 lamps used in security lights?.

Sounds like the district council office here. The floodlights are blazing on the outside even during the brightest summer day.

Do as we say, not as we do........

[Satire is not politics!]
Exactly, Paul! It used to pee me right off when I lived in England and went to our luxurious new Town Hall, lit up like Trinity Rock Lighthouse 24/24. Council "officers" wading about knee-deep in luxury wool carpets, the heating on full blast, a full-size Otis lift in a 2 storey building{!!}, every possible light on, extravagence no object. Four staff on duty behind the "greeting" desk, [ 2 asleep on standby, one for the telephone. "Have you got an appointment Sir? Our Mr Stalinton is very busy at the moment, he can give you 2 minutes, a week next Thursday when he gets back from looking at the Town's new paving slabs in S. Portugal." ( nb. The Forest of Dean has a local quarry & stone sawyers' Works 3 miles up the road ) ]. Planning Officers straight out of NKVD Training School- [ "The answer is niet ...er... no, what is the question, comrade?" ].
The idea that these profligates, who's idea on saving energy would be to fly a 20 person fact-finding mission 13000 miles to Western Samoa to find out how to do it, is laughable. If they had to fit low-energy bulbs, their response would be to get 1000% more lampholders installed so they don't use less electricity, on the basis that if they reduce costs their budgets will get cut!
Rant over, cleared for landing!

Alan

Or there was the one where to see how our Continental cousins do things, councillors went on a fact-finding mission to the "typical" French department of Guadaloupe! (Pure coincidence that the trip took place in January, of course.)

Can anyone say "Gravy-Train"?.

By chance I received the regular newsletter from my local council yesterday, and this is one of the pieces within:

Haven't learned much science in three years, have you Simon?

Further to the subject of profligacy, I once visited Otterburn Moor in Northumberland on a Trial. A lovely "day out" with a platoon of squaddies, firing mortars from a pit in the peat and eating that peculiar British Army "cold rations" brew, where they just open packs at random and stir them up in a billy. Cold Beef Stew, peaches and Chocolate Orios. Lovely! I returned weary, cold and mud spattered to the buildings. There, purely by luck, I saw a member of our Staff talking to a lathe-turner, 300 miles from base! Turned out he was getting the machining of small Development parts done in the Workshops there, thus getting 3 days fixed-rate expenses while staying at barracks free, a 600 mile gasoline allowance and all the Army scoff and free beer he could get down his neck in the Sergeants' Mess! Our own machine-shop was desperate for work at the time, and was a short walk from his office. A quiet word with our Director put the kybosh on that little swindle, pdq!

Alan

edit spelling.
Bill: Just noticed. Sit tight? I prefer to lounge loose!

And why all these special extension boards, whatever they may be?

Are council employees so dim that they can't just switch off at the wall when they pack up for the day?

There's no doubt that vast amounts of office equipment sit on all night for no good reason, really, you'd think they'd just pull the plug / switch off at the socket. 'extension boards' are hardly necessary!