Who said there were no choices?

Who said there were no choices?

The New Zealand Government announcement highlighting the phase out of the traditional incandescent light globe in late 2009 has created some undue consumer concern over the lack of energy saving lamps to suit their personal taste and requirements.

Today’s compact fluorescent lamps (CFLS) are available in a number of shapes, hues, sizes and dimmable products that will change the average person’s perception of the traditional energy efficient light globe. Consumers can now energy saving lamps that will suit everything from outside lighting to chandeliers to bedside lamps.

Philips Lighting New Zealand welcomes concerned consumers to call us on:
0 800 4 Light or 0 800 45 4448 to find out which energy saving light globe will suit their needs and find out about their closest stockists.

We have also made this information available on our website: www.philips.co.nz

Please find our most frequently asked questions below

How can an Energy Saving lamps save me money?
Traditionally, New Zealand homes have been lit using a 100W or 75W lamp, which draws the respective amount of power. The energy saving lamp can draw a significantly smaller amount of power and yet provide the same amount of light. A CFL uses up to 80% less energy than an incandescent light bulb and lasts at least 6 times longer.

Due to the reduction in energy usage, users will save a significant amount of money over the life of the light globes.

I don’t like the colour produced by energy saver globes.
Is that being improved to be more like incandescent lamps?
Energy saver globes have evolved to the point where good quality globes now are usually very similar in functionality to incandescent. They last longer and energy saving globes from reputable manufacturers render a light quality which approaches very closely that of incandescent globes.

Energy saver globes can also be purchased in either a ‘cool white’ or ‘warm white’ colour. Warm white would be more suitable for general use around the home including reading, while cool white would be better suited to task work such as cooking.

I have dimmer switches in my house. Can you dim energy saver globes?
There are new energy saver globes available today that can operate and dim on ordinary domestic dimmer switches. Philips dimmable energy saver globes are now available in New Zealand.

Do energy saver globes contain Mercury?
Compact fluorescent globes contain a small amount of mercury, an essential component in the operation of the globe. Most energy saver globes contain between 3-5mg of mercury, by comparison a typical thermometer has between 500 and 3,000mg of mercury.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, using a CFL actually presents an opportunity to reduce the release of mercury into the environment. As CFLs use up to 80% less energy than an incandescent light bulb and lasts at least 6 times longer, the power generated from a standard power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb, compared to 2.4mg to run a CFL for the same time.

What do I do with an energy saver globe when it burns out? What is the proper disposal procedure?
Energy saver globes are safe to use in your house. No mercury is released when the bulbs are in use and they pose no danger to you or your family when used properly.

However, energy saver globes are made of glass tubing and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Care should be taken when removing the globe from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the globe by its base, and never forcefully twist the energy saver globe into a light socket by its tubes.

If you break an energy saver globe, please take the following steps:

 Ventilate the room for 20-30 minutes
 Use gloves to remove all the pieces
 Do not use a vacuum cleaner
 Do not throw energy saver globes away in your household rubbish if better disposal options exist.
 If your local waste management agency offers no other disposal options except your household rubbish, wrap the energy saver globe in newspaper and place and seal the energy saver globe in a plastic bag before putting it in the trash.

If you require more information please visit:
The New Zealand Ministry for the Environment Website:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/disposal-household-lamps-mar07/disposal-household-lamps-mar07.html

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