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from the light-bulbs-may-die-but-dark-bulbs-are-forever dept.
Markus Krajewski reports that today, with many countries phasing out incandescent lighting in favor of more-efficient and pricier LEDs, it’s worth revisiting the history of the Phoebus cartel—not simply as a quirky anecdote from the annals of technology but as a cautionary tale about the strange and unexpected pitfalls that can arise when a new technology vanquishes an old one. Prior to the Phoebus cartel’s formation in 1924, household light bulbs typically burned for a total of 1,500 to 2,500 hours; cartel members agreed to shorten that life span to a standard 1,000 hours. Each factory regularly sent light bulb samples to the cartel’s central laboratory in Switzerland for verification. If any factory submitted bulbs lasting longer or shorter than the regulated life span for its type, the factory was obliged to pay a fine.
Though long gone, the Phoebus cartel still casts a shadow today because it reduced competition in the light bulb industry for almost twenty years, and has been accused of preventing technological advances that would have produced longer-lasting light bulbs. Will history repeat itself as the lighting industry is now going through its most tumultuous period of technological change since the invention of the incandescent bulb. "Consumers are expected to pay more money for bulbs that are up to 10 times as efficient and that are touted to last a fantastically long time—up to 50,000 hours in the case of LED lights. In normal usage, these lamps will last so long that their owners will probably sell the house they’re in before having to change the bulbs," writes Krajewski. "Whether or not these pricier bulbs will actually last that long is still an open question, and not one that the average consumer is likely to investigate." There are already reports of CFLs and LED lamps burning out long before their rated lifetimes are reached. "Such incidents may well have resulted from nothing more sinister than careless manufacturing. But there is no denying that these far more technologically sophisticated products offer tempting opportunities for the inclusion of purposefully engineered life-shortening defects."
(Score: 2) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Sunday September 28 2014, @05:21PM
I moved into an apartment with these new energy-efficient, long-lasting bulbs. They even have a special base so you can't use normal bulbs, and they're almost impossible to find. (Lowes was sold out of these for many, many months and I had to go to another Lowes to find them.) In about a year and a half, I had replaced almost every single one of these bulbs. They burned out one after the other. I think there's one original bulb left because it takes longer to warm up than the ones I replaces them with. But it's as close to a 100% failure rate as you'll ever get. They cost more than normal bulbs, but don't deliver on the promise of lasting a decade or whatever.
(E-mail me if you want a pizza roll!)
(Score: 1) by Bill Evans on Sunday September 28 2014, @05:26PM
PizzaPollPlinkett, are you talking about CFLs or LEDs?
(Score: 1) by Jesus_666 on Sunday September 28 2014, @05:49PM
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday September 29 2014, @04:35PM
Most likely, and yes they're terrible, blew once or twice a year. When I moved in to this place I replaced them with LED light bulbs, which use 1/10th the power, thus generate 1/10th the heat. No problems yet.
(Score: 2) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Sunday September 28 2014, @07:01PM
Sorry - these are CFLs. The kind with the weird two-prong base. They don't screw in. I have never used LED bulbs.
(E-mail me if you want a pizza roll!)
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Sunday September 28 2014, @08:39PM
GU24 fitting. Let me guess, California?
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Sunday September 28 2014, @08:41PM
BTW you can get converters for those. Just google around.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday September 28 2014, @05:51PM
We're entirely dimmer switches in the room where I spend the majority of my time, and I think dimmable LED bulbs are about 50 times the price of heat-globes. As I've replaced 0 krypton bulbs in 4 years, it's simply never going to be worth me ever buying one LED bulb. In particular that I'm just about to turn on my heating for the cold half of the year, and whilst my heating is thermostatically controlled, every penny I burn using my heat-globes is a penny I don't need to spend keeping the electric heater warm.
Long live the heat globe!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Sunday September 28 2014, @10:26PM
I have an unheated shed I use for a workshop, and have a cold weather rated T-8 as the main light. However, a few of my tools have light fixtures in them as well, and I use heat globes for the. I the summer, I don't need them as there is plenty of extra sunlight, and in the winter the heat makes a big difference. Most days, I don't need to turn my space heater on - and that sucker draws more juice then the power tools themselves.
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