Lightbulb Conspiracy:
- 1925 Phoebus Cartel: major light bulb manufacturers agreed to deliberately limit the lifespan of their bulbs to 1000hrs.
- Planned obsolescence has now spread to many, if not all, consumer items on the market. This is commonly promoted as a means of increasing consumer demand.
- Planned obsolescence of light bulbs is once again a problem because LED lighting should last >15yrs. However, poor thermal design and deliberately low quality of many LED lighting solutions mean that their lifetimes are problematically low. The light bulb manufacturers are therefore effectively playing upon people’s impression that light bulbs should traditionally burn out periodically.
- Planned obsolescence documentaries:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJI8gfpu5Y - A very good documentary covering the history of planned obsolescence, including a section about the first Apple iPod and the problems associated with the inability to replace (or have replaced by a service centre) the poor-quality internal rechargeable battery. Also interesting is the recurring theme of a next-to-impossible-to-service inkjet printer (very much in keeping with my personal experience of trying to repair clogged poor-quality peristaltic pumps from inkjet printers!).
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5v8D-alAKE - Veritasium video about planned obsolescence. Some overlap with above documentary.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycD4XkUtbIw - A somewhat viral video from a decade ago, highlighting the extreme waste associated with inkjet printers. This video is briefly referenced in the first above documentary, in the context of its problematic inkjet printer.
Lighting Considerations:
LEDs are a highly efficient light source, with a roughly tenfold increase in efficiency compared with conventional incandescent filament lamps. When installed and operated correctly, in the correct usage cases, they can bring about significant energy savings as well as reduced maintenance.
A noteworthy aspect, particularly when considering the suitability of LEDs in place of existing lighting technologies, is that they require low-voltage direct current. So LEDs, when being used in a location supplied by high-voltage AC (alternating current) mains power, must be used in conjunction with peripheral voltage reduction and AC-DC conversion circuitry.
- Efficiency of various light sources over time (Obtained from Nature Photonics vol.3 April 2009):
LEDs vs incandescent lamps:
- Very high relative efficiency
- 12W LED retrofit “light bulb” fits in the same light fitting as a 100W incandescent lamp, and produces the same level of light output.
- “Retrofit” LED lamps contain voltage conversion circuitry in the same physical lamp enclosure as the LED semiconductors themselves. This means that the lamp itself is a single-unit like-for-like replacement with an incandescent alternative.
- E.g: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Equivalent-Bayonet-Frosted-Dimmable-Bedroom/dp/B0891RPLPX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1098O0XK9SRZO&keywords=100W+LED+bulb]&qid=1644704962&sprefix=100w+led+bulb%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSkg1OEdGTThUQkwxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzU2MzU4MVFSNDhDMklYMFBRVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTA3OTI0T1NUQ08zRzk2U0pOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Equivalent-Bayonet-Frosted-Dimmable-Bedroom/dp/B0891RPLPX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1098O0XK9SRZO&keywords=100W+LED+bulb]&qid=1644704962&sprefix=100w+led+bulb%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSkg1OEdGTThUQkwxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzU2MzU4MVFSNDhDMklYMFBRVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTA3OTI0T1NUQ08zRzk2U0pOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==)
- Alternatively, integrated LED light fittings do not contain removable lamps at all. These fittings instead contain a self-contained LED array and associated voltage convertor in one luminaire. This typically allows for better heat dissipation compared with a retrofit LED lamp, because the components can be more spaced out. In a well-manufactured fitting, this corresponds to a longer life.
- E.g: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Batten-Integrated-3000K-Ceiling/dp/B0912K5H1T/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3PAFAHSIBZSUY&keywords=integrated+LED+light&qid=1644705012&sprefix=integrated+led+light%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyS0NRODY2R0EzS1dIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzcyNjM0MUlDQVdVNUZLUk9JUiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTU2Nzk0MkJMSEZXSkVBRktWTiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
- For some specialist applications, however, LEDs are not an entirely suitable replacement for incandescent lamps:
- Oven/refrigerator lamps - These involve extreme temperatures. The plastic housing/PCBs and sensitive electronics in retrofit LED lights would tend to be damaged.
- Catering lamps - These actually utilise the excess heat from an incandescent PAR (parabolic aluminised reflector) lamp to keep food warm. LEDs, with their greatly reduced excess heat output, would be of little use in this case.
- Dimmable lights - Many dimmers intended for incandescent lamps utilise phase-angle control (a type of PWM; see https://www.laserbeam31.tk/guides/theatre_lighting/hardware3.html#phaseangledimmers). This method of control interferes with (and generally damages!) the voltage conversion circuitry present in retrofit LED lamps. Ultimately, dimming LEDs requires a totally different electronic topology whereby a PWM module is inserted between the voltage converter and the LEDs themselves. Attempting to modulate power at the input mains stage rarely, if ever works correctly. Therefore, if incandescent-orientated dimming is installed (such as is commonly the case in many theatres / TV studios), LEDs cannot provide a direct retrofit replacement.
- The latest revision of the European Ecodesign regulations - which cover requirements on energy efficiency for appliances including light bulbs - essentially bans incandescent lamps for retail except for the aforementioned specialist applications (https://www.eceee.org/ecodesign/process/).
- Also see: recent backlash from theatres due to the impracticality of entirely phasing out tungsten incandescent lighting: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/theatre-lights-eu-save-stage-lighting-led