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reasons to switch
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are Ecobulb® Promotions? Q. What are the benefits of replacing ordinary bulbs with Ecobulbs®?
Q. Are Ecobulb® light bulbs bigger than ordinary bulbs?
Q. How can I safely dispose of Ecobulbs®?
Q. Response to Environmental and Landfill Concerns
Q. What if my Ecobulb® breaks?
Q. Response to Personal Health Concerns
Q. Where can I purchase Ecobulbs® from?
Q. How are the power savings of energy saving
bulbs calculated?
Q. What size ordinary bulbs can a 20 Watt
Ecobulb® be used to replace? Q. Can I get replacement Ecobulbs® for 50W 12V 36 degree GU5.3 (also known as MR16), R80s and GU10?
Q. Can an Ecobulb® be used in downlights or enclosed fixtures?
Q. Ecobulb® Mini-downlight Installation
Q. Replacing a Halogen or incandescent downlight with an Ecobulb® downlight
Q. Replacing an Ecobulb® Mini-downlight
Q. Replacing an Ecobulb® Mini-downlight Lamps
Q. Risk of Damaging Bulb during Installation
Q. What about using energy saving bulbs
outside? Q. Is there a variety of wattages for Ecobulbs®?
Q. How long do Ecobulbs® take to reach full
brightness?
Q. Why do other 20 Watt energy saving bulbs
appear less bright than an ordinary 100 Watt light bulb?
Q. Does the light emitted decrease over the
lifetime of an Ecobulb®?
Q. What if my Ecobulb® fails? Is there a
warranty?
Q. Can Ecobulbs® be used with ordinary dimmers?
Q. Do Ecobulbs® emit less light in cold
conditions?
Q. Do Ecobulbs® flicker and/or buzz?
Q. Do Ecobulbs® produce Radio Frequency
interference? Q. How does turning Ecobulb® on and off affect
wear and tear?
Q. Kelvin - What is the difference between
2700K and 5000K?
Q. Can I use Energy Saving Bulbs in
dusk to dawn & electronic timers?
Q.
What are Ecobulb® Promotions?
Energy Mad in
conjunction with local Energy Trusts, Lines Companies and Power
Companies are heavily subsidising the Ecobulb® promotions to bring
you Ecobulbs® at below cost price. As part of the Electricity Commission’s 2008 Commercial Project, Ecobulb energy saving bulbs are available at a subsidised price until the end of December 2008. This website also contains a savings calculator which you can use to calculate your savings per year, the payback period etc. If you are replacing incandescent bulbs, the payback period is typically 3 months or less, so very short! Also, the Electricity Commission subsidy, which reduces prices between 50 and 70% of the RRP will only be available until December 31st 2008. We are also able to complete a free and simple energy assessment for your establishment. As we are based in Christchurch, this can be done by phone. It will take approximately twenty minutes to complete and we would ask you about the following information about your rooms and corridors: - The number of rooms you have - Type of lighting within these rooms and corridors (ie- incandescent or halogen down lights)* - If you were to replace your current lighting, would there be any labour costs and - The usual capacity rate of the rooms so that we could establish the average usage per day. *Please be aware that Eco Bulbs cannot be used with dimmers * Please be aware that the assessment is designed for those lights that are not currently using energy saver bulbs. If you wish to make a time for an assessment appointment, or have any queries about ordering please call on 03 977 6700.
An Ecobulb® is an energy saving light bulb (Compact Fluorescent Lamp or CFL), that uses 80% less electricity than an ordinary bulb for the same light output. CFL’s are made up of two main components; the ballast and the tube. The ballast houses the circuit board and electronics, and the tube is fairly self explanatory, although the tubes are treated slightly differently to produce different colour temperatures (e.g. warm white, cool day light, etc. Energy saving bulbs are smaller fluorescent lamps that can directly replace standard incandescent bulbs. Their colour and brightness are comparable to incandescent bulbs. Energy saving bulbs consist of two parts - a gas-filled tube and a ballast. The gas in the tube glows with ultraviolet light when electricity from the ballast flows through it. This in turn excites a white phosphor coating on the inside of the tube, which emits visible light throughout the surface of the tube. Incandescent lamps work differently. Most of the electricity they use heats a tungsten filament until it glows white hot. As a result, incandescent lamps generate far more heat than a fluorescent light. Manufacturers, including ourselves, don’t generally disclose too much information about the actual manufacturing process as this is commercially sensitive, however, you can find a lot of information on the internet by Googling keywords such as CFL and ballast. Consumers’ Institute also ran some tests on CFL’s a few years ago and their report may contain other information that is of use to you. Ecobulbs® have been thoroughly tested and meet all mandatory requirements in New Zealand. We pride ourselves on the quality of the product and offer a 2 year, no questions asked, warranty. If a customer has reason to believe that an Ecobulb® may be faulty within this warranty period, then we will be only too happy to provide a replacement.
Q. What are the benefits of replacing ordinary bulbs with
Ecobulbs®? There are several benefits:
Q. Are Ecobulb® light bulbs bigger than ordinary bulbs?
The Ecobulb® is a similar shape to ordinary incandescent bulbs and
only about 11mm longer than an ordinary one.
Q. How can I safely dispose of Ecobulbs®? Disposing of Energy Saving Bulbs at the End of their life:
Disposing of Energy Saving Bulbs if the glass breaks:
See our Technical/Safety page for more information or read the following document from the Ministry for the Environment:
Ministry for the Environment - Safe Disposal of CFLs (PDF) (Click here to see more information)
Responsible disposal of energy efficient light bulbs has increasingly become an issue of interest for the public in recent years. Energy Mad is currently working on lighting recycling programs in conjunction with the Ministry for the Environment and a lighting technology working group to develop a nationwide collection and recycling system for CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps or ‘energy saving light bulbs’). Contact your local council to enquire about this, or alternatively, contact Interwaste who are currently recycling CFLs. For a current list of recycling collection bin locations, they can be contacted on Free Phone : 0800 102 131 Email: info@interwaste.co.nz Contacting Interwaste would be appropriate for anyone who does not have a local service centre that can dispose of the bulbs. Ask staff at your local refuse station if they have recycling facilities as most materials can be recycled. In the interim, Energy Mad is committed to facilitating replacement of any faulty Ecobulb® (under the 2 year warranty) and eventual recycling of any expired Ecobulbs® Alternatively they can be double bagged and placed in with the general household rubbish, but we prefer to recycle the bulbs wherever possible and this is done so through the Council Service Centres. Similarly, www.lamprecycle.org is another website that contains a lot of useful and interesting information about the recycling of lamps.
Q. Response to Environmental and Landfill Concerns Energy Mad Ltd works hard to ensure that the Ecobulb light bulb has one of the industries’ lowest mercury content: 1.1-1.4mg or about the size of a grain of salt. This amount is half of what most energy saving bulbs contain (usually 2-5mg). With 2 times the typical life, an Ecobulb® will send ¼ of the mercury to landfill compared to other energy saving bulbs. · The mercury in an EcobulbTM light bulb is an “amalgam” solid form at atmospheric temperatures, meaning if it broke in a landfill, the amalgam in an Ecobulb® will most likely remain inside the EcobulbTM light bulb. · NET Mercury: It is the NET amount of mercury which should be considered. About a 5th of the electricity generated in NZ is from coal fired power stations, which discharges mercury straight into the atmosphere. The amount of mercury being dispersed into the atmosphere, local environment and ecosystem as a result of an ordinary ‘incandescent’ light bulb, is 4 times that which is bound up in solid state inside the glass of the Ecobulb®. Furthermore the Ecobulb®can be safely disposed of and recycled, whereas the mercury released from power stations cannot.
Q. What if my Ecobulb® breaks?
The primary hazard associated with broken Ecobulbs® is broken glass, so be sure to wear gloves when collecting fragments. Broken bulbs fragments should be swept into a bag (NOT VACUUMED) and again taken to your local refuse station for recycling
See our Technical/Safety page for more information.
Q. Response to Personal Health Concerns · Mercury: All compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and other forms of efficient lighting, such as the fluorescent lamps found in most office buildings, have small amounts of mercury in them. · The mercury in most dental fillings contains up to 50 - 100 times the mercury of an Ecobulb®. Ecobulbs® contain much less than most household thermometers. · If an Ecobulb® breaks, the biggest risk is cutting your hands on the glass. Follow the instructions on the Ecobulb.co.nz website to clean up the broken pieces. (open a window, sweep up the glass, wrap in newspaper and a plastic bag and dispose of at your local service centre.
Q. Where can I purchase Ecobulbs® from?
Ecobulbs® can be purchased from your local Pak 'N Save, New World and Four Square Supermarkets. Ecobulbs® are also available from Shell service stations nationwide. If Ecobulbs® are not available in your local Pak 'N Save, New World or Four Square supermarket, or your local Shell service station please ask the manager to order Ecobulbs® from their distribution centre.
Q. How are the power savings of energy saving bulbs calculated?
An average New Zealand
family uses 1,100 kWh of electricity per household on lighting each
year. This costs them approximately $200 on their power bill. If
they replace their 5 highest-use incandescent bulbs (in locations
such as the lounge, kitchen, hallway, bedroom, outside light...)
with Ecobulbs®, they can save up to $100 per year.
Q. Why is it so important that every household in New Zealand
replaces the five most used ordinary bulbs with Ecobulbs®?
If every New Zealand
household replaced their five most used ordinary bulbs with
Ecobulbs®, the peak power savings would be equivalent to building a
very large new hydro power station the size of Project Aqua . This
would also prevent 66 million ordinary bulbs being thrown into
landfills.
Q. What size ordinary bulbs can a 20 or 15 Watt Ecobulb® be used
to replace?
A 20 Watt Ecobulb® can be
used to replace 100 Watt and R80 Watt ordinary bulb as it provides
the same light output, while only using 20 Watts of electricity. A
20 Watt Ecobulb® can also be used to replace a 150 Watt ordinary
bulbs. A 15 Watt Ecobulb® can be used to replace a 75 Watt and 60
Watt ordinary bulb.
Q. Can I get replacement Ecobulb®s for: 50W 12V 36 degree GU5.3 (also known as MR16), R80's and GU10? Below are pictures of 2 halogens. The one with the pins is a GU5.3 base (which usually runs on 12Volts) and the one with the knobs is a GU10 (which typically runs on mains voltage - 230Volts). Halogens are also referred to as MR16's and when people say this, they usually mean the GU5.3 base (not many people reference the base). MR16 means "Multifaceted Reflector" the 16 refers to the diameter and the number of eighths of an inch the front diameter is. GU 5.3 GU10 Pin base Knob base 12V 240V Slightly more efficient Equal efficiency to std bulb than std bulb
We now have available a 12V halogen replacement Mini Downlight, and this will be suitable for replacement of recessed halogen ceiling lamps and R80s (however the bulb does not look like an R80) G10 50w 240v lamp replacements will not be available in the immediate future.
Q. Can an Ecobulb® be used in downlights or enclosed fixtures? If the light fitting is fully enclosed we don't recommend it, but if the fixture has ventilation holes it should be OK. The 15 Watt or 20 Watt Ecobulb® can be used in downlights replacing 75 Watt or 100 Watt R80 (spot lights). The light output will be less using the Ecobulb® since there is no reflective mirror, but more than adequate and the compact spiral shape doesn't protrude. The Ecobulb® gives off less heat so can be used in enclosed fittings and is less of a fire danger Some fittings may require the 20W Ecobulbs® to be screwed in very tightly, if they still do not work please use a 15W.
Q.
Mini Downlight Installation Energy Mad recommends that Ecobulb® Mini downlights are installed by a registered electrician. If a home owner wishes to install them in their own home, then the installation will need to be tested by a registered electrical inspector before being connected to the electrical supply.
Q. Replacing a Halogen or incandescent downlight with an Ecobulb® downlight Electrical wiring work that can be undertaken by a home owner is covered by Regulation 47 of the Electricity Regulations 1997, which states that any work that involves altering subcircuits requires testing by a registered electrical inspector. The installation of an Ecobulb® Mini downlight involves removing the transformer and fitting a high temperature connecting lead between the Mini downlight screw terminals and the existing circuit. Whilst this is not particularly difficult for a competent DIY’er, we do not advise the customer to install the downlights themselves and always recommend that they are installed by a registered electrician.
Q. Replacing an Ecobulb® Mini downlight In the unlikely event that a home owner wishes to replace their Ecobulb® Mini downlight fitting with another Ecobulb® Mini downlight (unlikely because the average rated life of the ballast is 30,000 hrs!), then he/she is legally able to do this himself/herself in his/her own home without an inspection as this does not involve any alteration to the wiring or subcircuits
Q. Replacing an Ecobulb® Mini downlight Lamp The lamps (bulbs) use a propriety twist and lock fitting and can be purchased separately. Anybody capable of changing a light bulb should be able to do this without any problems. Due to the proprietary fitting of our Mini Downlights, the bulb will not be able to be fitted into your existing 12v downlight.
If it is a screw fitting then it may be the location of the lamp holder within the light fitting. The plastic base has a bigger diameter than normal incandescent bulbs and this can foul on the housing, thus preventing it from being screwed in further. 15W tend to be better than 20W because the diameter is smaller. Things to check include whether or not the ballast is fouling on the housing and whether or not the existing lamps are R80’s (which have a much thinner neck).
Q. Risk of Damaging Bulb during Installation Installing the lamp by holding the ballast eliminates the risk of injury or other damage resulting from breaking the tube, which will place less stress on the ends of the tubes, where the filaments are located. Unfortunately this is not an option for the mini downlight. However, this product is distinctly different from the general service lamps in so far as the lamp is separate from the ballast (and hence there is minimal risk of damaging the ballast by holding the tube rather than the ballast), and also because it has a proprietary twist and lock fitting rather than a screw fitting (where the risk of damage resulting form over tightening of the lamp is much greater).
Ecobulb®*Mini Downlight lamps do get hotter than the normal CFL spirals, but you should be able to remove them without burning yourself (provided that you don't hold onto the tube for too long). Recommended best practice is to allow the bulb to cool before attempting to remove.
Flanges can be used when the existing holes from previous downlights are too large for the Ecobulb® Down Light Unit. As the Ecobulb® Down Light Unit is currently only available in the one size (70mm) we are developing a flange plate which can be used with the light unit. The Flange will be 150mm Diameter and will have the same brush chrome finish as the light unit. Initial stock of the new Flange Plate is expected to be available early January 2009.
Q. What about using energy saving bulbs outside?
Most energy saving bulbs
can be used in outside locations, but the enclosure must keep it dry
and protect it from the elements. The Ecobulb® uses the latest
amalgam technology and will maintain light levels even at low
temperatures.
Q. Is there a variety of wattages for Ecobulbs®?
The Ecobulb® is available in 13W (Equivalent to 60W output) 15W (Equivalent to 75W output) 20W (Equivalent to 100W output or R80 Spotlight ) 15W Mini Downlight (Equivalent to 50W Halogen)
Q. How long do Ecobulbs® take to reach full brightness?
An Ecobulb® takes
approximately one minute to reach full brightness. This is
considerably faster than most other Energy Saving bulbs available in
New Zealand, since it is designed particularly for the New Zealand
power supply.
Q. Why do other 20 Watt energy saving bulbs appear less bright
than an ordinary 100 Watt light bulb?
Most 20 Watt energy
saving bulbs have a light output of less than 1200 lumens, while the
light output of a 100Watt ordinary bulb is 1360 lumens. Also the
conventional 3U shape spreads the light horizontally rather than
downwards. Both these reasons cause the other 20 Watt energy saving
bulbs to appear less bright than an ordinary 100 Watt light bulb. In
contrast the 20 Watt Ecobulb® appears to be as bright as a 100 Watt
ordinary bulb. This is because the Ecobulb® has a light output of
1330 lumens and the spiral shape is designed to spread the light
downwards similar to an ordinary bulb.
Q. Does the light emitted decrease over the lifetime of an
Ecobulb®?
The light of an Ecobulb®
does decrease over its life. However this rate of decrease is less
than an ordinary bulb.
Q. Since Ecobulbs® produce less heat than an ordinary bulb won t
my electric heater be used more and I won t save electricity? A common misconception is that because the Ecobulb® has less heat output, that there will be an increased need to use heating to compensate. However international studies have shown there is no significant increase in electrical heating to compensate for the reduced heat from the energy saving bulbs. Most light bulbs are located at ceiling level so the increased heat of an incandescent bulb is lost directly through the ceiling and does not heat the room.
Q. What if my Ecobulb® fails? Is there a warranty?
Each Ecobulb® carries a 2
year warranty. Return to the supermarket where it was purchased, for
a replacement or refund.
Q. Can Ecobulbs® be used with ordinary dimmers?
It is suggested that
Ecobulbs® (and other energy-saving lightbulbs) are not used in
dimmers. Even if the dimmer feature is not used, it will still
shorten the expected life of the Ecobulb®.
Modern electronic dimmers work by
switching the power on and off very quickly. Most CFL’s are not
designed for this rapid switching and installing them in a circuit
with dimmers is likely to cause them to fail prematurely. We are
working on a dimmable Ecobulb®*, but this is still under
development. We also recommend reading the packaging on CFL’s and
only install them in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Q. Do Ecobulbs® emit less light in cold conditions? Ecobulb® uses the latest amalgam technology which maintains its luminous flux (light output) even at low temperatures.
Q. Do Ecobulbs® flicker and/or buzz?
Ecobulbs® do not flicker
or buzz and have passed all the required NZ standards tests. Most
modern energy saving bulbs do not flicker or buzz (although some
cheaper or very old ones do). Ecobulbs® should not emit any noise under normal operation on circuits without dimmers.
Q. Most energy saving bulbs are bigger than ordinary bulbs. Is
the Ecobulb® bigger than ordinary bulbs?
The Ecobulb® is a similar
shape to ordinary bulbs, and only about 11mm longer than an ordinary
bulb.
Q. Do Ecobulbs® produce Radio Frequency interference?
No. The Ecobulb® has been
tested and passed CISPR 15 and has the C-tick.
Q. How does turning Ecobulb® on and off affect wear and tear?
Our product has been
tested to standards which includes switch testing.
Q. Does an energy saving bulb consume more electricity when
switched on than when in permanent operation?
The power consumption
when turning on an energy saving bulb is not higher than that during
permanent operation. A frequent turning on, therefore, has no
negative influence on the power consumption.
Q. Kelvin - What is the difference between 2700K and 5000K? The K stands for Kelvin. The Kelvin temperature of a bulb refers to the actual colour of the light and is a comparison to natural outdoor light. A 2700K lamp has a warmer tone than a 5000K lamp. An incandescent lamp is 2700K, a warm white fluorescent lamp is 3000K, a cool white fluorescent lamp is 4100K and noon, outdoor sunlight is about 6000K. The 2700K matches the warm soft light colour of candlelight, firelight or an ordinary incandescent bulb. The 5000K lamp produces a much whiter light more closely associated with sun light. The advantage of this 5000K light colour is that it increases contrast. Black becomes blacker, white become whiter. Printed material (black type on white paper) is easier to read under 5000K light. Therefore, this lamp makes an excellent reading light and can help reduce eye fatigue. The colour temperatures and colour coordinates of Ecobulbs® are as follows;
Most people prefer warm white as this is closest to a normal incandescent bulb. The higher colour temperature is closer to natural daylight, however, indoors it has a colder (more blue) appearance.
Q. Can I use Energy Saving Bulbs in dusk to dawn &
electronic timers?
Photo cells contain a
silicon chip that converts radiant energy into electrical current.
Most photo-cells today do this in a manner that is incompatible with
energy saving bulbs resulting in a shortened lamp life. Timers are
devices that allow trickle voltage to cycle through the lamp when it
is off. This causes the lamp to try and start itself when there is
not the proper supply voltage present. This also shortens the lamp
life.
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