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TonyDuell · 21st Apr 2019, 12:23 pm

I don't want to get involved with conspiracy theories, but...

It is actually quite easy to make a fliament light bulb last a long time. You just run it at a lower voltage. If you took a normal 230V bulb and ran it at, say, 110V it would give out some light. And it was last for many, many years.

The catch is, of course, that such a bulb is less efficient at providing light. You need more electrical power in to light the room (or whatever) properly.

Conversely you can make filament bulbs a little more efficient (more useful light output per electrical watt input) by running them on a higher voltage. That's essentially what photoflood bulbs were/are. A short life (only a few hours) but bright. So OK for photographic applictions where you only run them for a minute at a time.

So if you have a bulb that lasts a long time (saving money on replacements) you have to spend more money on electrical energy to light the room properly.

As I said, I do not want to get involved in conspiracy theories. But I was under the impression that the bulbs were designed to balance the cost of electrical energy against the cost of replacements.

21st Apr 2019, 12:23 pm	#6
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,225	Re: The lightbulb conspiracy I don't want to get involved with conspiracy theories, but... It is actually quite easy to make a fliament light bulb last a long time. You just run it at a lower voltage. If you took a normal 230V bulb and ran it at, say, 110V it would give out some light. And it was last for many, many years. The catch is, of course, that such a bulb is less efficient at providing light. You need more electrical power in to light the room (or whatever) properly. Conversely you can make filament bulbs a little more efficient (more useful light output per electrical watt input) by running them on a higher voltage. That's essentially what photoflood bulbs were/are. A short life (only a few hours) but bright. So OK for photographic applictions where you only run them for a minute at a time. So if you have a bulb that lasts a long time (saving money on replacements) you have to spend more money on electrical energy to light the room properly. As I said, I do not want to get involved in conspiracy theories. But I was under the impression that the bulbs were designed to balance the cost of electrical energy against the cost of replacements.