Tech | October 15, 2010 | 10 comments

German firm outwits EU ban on non energy efficient light bulbs by branding them as mini heaters

source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20101015/tsc-oukoe-uk-germany-heatballs-011ccfa.html

Image
Cubejam
A German entrepreneur is bypassing a European Union ban on light bulbs of more than 60 watts by marketing his own brand as mini heaters. Skip related content

Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs -- by producing them in China, importing them as "small heating devices" and selling them as "heatballs."

To improve energy efficiency, the EU has banned the sale of bulbs of over 60 watts -- to the annoyance of the mechanical engineer from the western city of Essen.

Rotthaeuser studied EU legislation and realised that because the inefficient old bulbs produce more warmth than light -- he calculated heat makes up 95 percent of their output, and light just 5 percent -- they could be sold legally as heaters.

On their website, the two engineers describe the heatballs as "action art" and as "resistance against legislation which is implemented without recourse to democratic and parliamentary processes."

Costing 1.69 euros each (1.49 pounds), the heatballs are going down well -- the first batch of 4,000 sold out in three days.

Rotthaeuser has pledged to donate 30 cents of every heatball sold to saving the rainforest, which the 49-year-old sees as a better way of protecting the environment than investing in energy-saving lamps, which contain toxic mercury.
  1. groups:
    News and Politics,   Tech,   Green,   Culture,   9 more
  2. tags:
    Politics,  Environment,  Law,  Business,  5 more
  3.     
    |

10 comments // German firm outwits EU ban on non energy efficient light bulbs by branding them as mini heaters

  • toyotabedzrock
  • IceKat
  • Cubejam
    • 0
      Cubejam  
    • IceKat:

      I can't say I want my energy wasted!

      Who seriously wants 95% of the energy that is supposed to be for light used as heat. That's not the purpose of a light bulb.

      Now, what people want is an energy efficient light bulb that produces that same amount of light as an ordinary light bulb.

      You can say what you like about "green" light bulbs, they save money that would otherwise be wasted.

      Basically it's like saying why bother saving water? people want to use as much water as they like! Lets forget the water shortage and waste of water if they leave the tap on when they go out.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
  • IceKat
  • remanns
  • remanns
    • +1
      remanns  

    • Good for them.
      ( these things MAKE SENSE as a light source - - -WHEN ITS COLD ! )

      note - -I had most of my light set up with aluminum "dish" fixtures,....all pointing up from the floor,...more or less,...to reflect light from the ceiling, without glare,...and the HEAT dispersed upward and OUT through the room. 500 WATS is GOOD light,.....and WAY TO WARM for an in-closed space,...unless it 30 degrees or less for most of the day outside.

      Still,....this "heatball" designation should NOT be dismissed.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
    • 0
      remanns  

    • I had a small apartment in Dallas,... I used bright lighting to heat the apartment the entire 2 1/2 months of "cold" winter; never turned them off and my studio was continually well lit - - -( yes I CAN sleep that way ). It wasn't expensive. Really. NEVER turned the heater on,,...not once.

      note - - my NEIGHBORS certainly DID run their heating units,....they WERE part of my insulation,....I may have cost THEM 1 or 2 % on heating costs,...but I payed about 42 $ TOTAL electric per month for a reasonable 2 bedroom apt. ( not "minuscule" )

    • 2 years ago
  • IceKat
  • remanns
more from Tech:
from the community

top videos