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www.livemint.comB U S I N E S S O F12 WEDNESDAY,APRIL1,2009,DELHI

mint

L EFWEDNESDAY,APRIL1, 2009,DELHI13

It sounds like such a simple thing to do: Buy some newlight bulbs, screw them in, save the planet. But a lot ofpeople are finding the new compact fluorescent lightbulbs anything but simple.

Consumers who are using them for the first time saythey sometimes fail to work or wear out early. Irritationseems to be mounting as more consumers try CFLs and

vociferous complaints are posted on the Internet, signsthat the bulbs are found lacking.

Bulb manufacturers and promoters say the overallquality of todays compact fluorescents is high. But theyalso concede that it is difficult to prevent some problembulbs from slipping through. Experts say the qualityproblems are being compounded by poor instructions.Using the bulbs incorrectly, such as by screwing low-end bulbs into fixtures where heat is prone to build up,can greatly shorten their lives.

Consumers should be able to protect themselves bybuying bulbs certified by the government. But expertsand some environmental groups complain that stand-ards are weak, permitting low-quality bulbs with toohigh a level of mercury, a toxic metal contained in allcompact fluorescents.

The standard essentially establishes a floor whichsorts out the junk, with the expectation that the rest isgood, says Michael Siminovitch, director of a lightingcentre at the University of California, Davis. Its not.

The government, which will begin enforcing tighterspecifications this year, says it must seek a balancebetween quality and affordability to achieve its goalof getting millions of additional consumers to installthe bulbs.

The truth is, light bulbs are getting a lot more com-plicated. In a guide they

wrote, lighting experts atthe Rensselaer Polytech-nic Institute, New York,declared that compactfluorescent bulbs requirea little insight and plan-

ning. That may be anunderstatement. Whileresearch suggests thatcompact fluorescent tech-nology has improved overthe last decade, the bulbsdo not replicate the per-formance of incandes-cents, the light bulbs to

which most consumersare accustomed.

Below are some high-lights from various guideson using compact fluores-cent bulbs, including tipsprepared by RensselaersLighting Research Center,the US governments Ener-gy Star programme, andexperts from the magazineConsumer Reports: Look for bulbs with la-bels which indicates they

have passed at leastminimal performancerequirements. Be aware that com-pact fluorescents cantake 1-3 minutes toreach full brightness.

This is not a defect. The place where peo-ple are most likely to usecompact fluorescents,closets, may be a poorchoice. Experts warn thatturning the bulbs on andoff frequently shortenstheir lives, and recom-mend using them in fix-

tures that are used at least 15 minutes at a time or sever-al hours a day. The bulbs do not do well in hot environments with littleairflow, such as recessed ceiling fixtures. They are ideal foruse in table lamps. For recessed fixtures, specialized heat-resistant compact fluorescents are available. Not all compact fluorescents work with dimmers or inthree-way sockets. Be certain to check the label. Learning about colour temperature, which is printedon the label of high-quality bulbs, can help consumersavoid disappointment with the colour of the light. The

warmest-looking bulbs generally have a colour tempera-ture of less than 3,000 Kelvin, while the harshest bulbsare usually above 5,000 Kelvin. Compact fluorescents contain mercury and should notbe disposed of in the trash. If you break a bulb, take precautions to avoid mercu-ry exposure: Clear people and pets from the room andopen a window for at least 15 minutes, if possible.

Avoid vacuuming. Scoop up larger pieces with stiff pa-

per or cardboard, pick up smaller residue with stickytape and wipe the area with a damp cloth. Put every-thingglass, clothes and cardboardinto a plasticbag or sealed glass jar. In most cases, this can be putin the trash.LEORA BROYDO VESTEL AND TOM ZELLER JR

2009/THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE FUTURE ISNOT SO BRIGHT

CONNECT

GADGETS

LISTEN

Onkyohasreleased anentry-levelhometheatre, theHT-S3200($380).The660-wattpackagecomes witha 5.1-channelAVreceiverwith110 wattsperchannel, threeHDMI(high-definitionmultimediainterface)inputs, DTSandDolbyDigitalsurround pro-cessingandfive loudspeakers.It alsohas fourdigitalsignal pro-cessingsoundmodes thatadjustthe systemssettings forrock,sports,actionand roleplaying(as incomputergames).The OnkyoHT-S3200isnow availablefor therecession-friendlypriceof $380. 2009/THENEWYORKTIMES

GET

SwitchEasy,amanufacturer ofiPod accessories,has releasedtheThumbTack($13),aminimicrophoneforthe iPodNano4GorTouch2Gthatis shapedlikeatack.ItplugsintotheiPodsheadphonejackandimmediatelybringsup avoice-recordingapplicationthatis builtintoeveryiPod.ThesystemcanrecordaudioatMP3qualitydirectlytothefreespaceon theiPod. Itcomesinblack,redandwhiteandalsoworkswiththird-

partyaudio-record-ingapplicationsavailableontheiTunesAppStore.

2009/THENEWYORKTIMES

PRINT

Wantto cleanupyourprintedcopiesof WebpagesandremovetheextralinessuchaspagenumberandWebaddress?In mostbrowsers,youcanturnoffthespace-hogginginformationinthePageSetuporPrintbox.LookforthesettingsforHeadersand Footers.Instructionsfor manybrowsersareat snipurl.com/doww3and

tipsforcustomizingheaderandfooterinformation inInternetExplorer7 atwww.uwec.edu/help/IE_7/headfoot.htm

2009/THENEWYORKTIMES

DO

AddinganiPodjacktoyourcarssystemmaytakesometime,moneyandeffort,butthe wiredconnectionusuallysoundscon-sistentlybetterthananinexpensiveadd-onsuchasanFMtransmitter.Anumberof iPodkitsareavailableforcarstereosystems.Oneplacetosee whatsoutthereisApplesownpageatapple.com/ipod/carintegration.ThepagehaslinkstomanufacturerswithiPodconnectionsintheircur-

rentmodels,as wellasa lengthylistof after-marketsolutions.Youroptionsvarydependingon yourcarequipment.

2009/THENEWYORKTIMES

BRTWOESBeyondthedebateon thebusrapid

transit,orBRT,systeminDelhiliestheissueofintegratingthe

differentmodes oftransport

LITTLEROOMSHotelsare matchingslimtravel budgetswithcabins inspiredbytrainsandplanes

TOMORROW in BUSINESS OF LIFELIVING

SHOULD YOUSWITCH TO LEDs?Chic, energy-efficient and high-tech LED-based

bulbs and lighting are gaining popularity. Expect the

transition to gain momentum in the next few

months in India. By NIYAM BHUSHAN

Even in the 21st century,the 19th centurys lightbulb has yet to touchthe lives of several mil-lion people in some vil-

lages in India. In European Un-ion (EU) countries, however, thisordinary light bulb will progres-sively be banned from retailshelves from September. A newEU directive aims to cut the CO2emissions that contribute to thegreenhouse effect and focusmore on energy-conscious livingby banning the incandescentlight bulb.

CFL unscrewedSurprisingly though it may seem,the compact fluorescent light, orCFL, increasingly used in homesand buildings across Indian cit-ies and towns is not the answereither. Indeed, expect the swishand the techno-chic to unscrewthose sometimes awkward-look-ing CFLs and replace them withthe latest in lighting: light-emit-ting diodes, or LEDs.

Heres why. LED lighting givesyou significantly more light forevery watt of electricity than

CFLs. In turn, thats what is saidabout CFLs when the compari-

son is with the incandescentlight bulb. You can well imaginehow dramatically energy-effi-cient LED lighting must beandthe direct savings in your elec-tricity bill month after month.

Cut your monthly billFor example, an incandescentlight bulb with a 60-watt ratingcan be replaced with a CFL of13-15 watts, reducing your bill toone-fourth the original amount.

Yet an LED of just 6-8 watts willgive you the same amount of lightand reduce your bill to one-tenth.

Keep these figures in mind asIndia, with its significantly largerpopulation, moves into yet an-other summer with power de-mand exceeding supply.

Long lastingThe average light bulb has a life-span of around 1,000-1,200hours. A CFL may have a life-span of about 2,500-8,000 hoursbut an LED lamp shines on foraround 30,000-50,000 hours.CFLs actually contain mercury,

which is highly toxic both for your health and the environ-

ment. Disposing of a CFL re-quires t he same caution as a

broken mercury thermometer athome. Fortunately, LEDs aremuch more environment-friend-ly and easier to dispose of.

Light and easy styleExpect the impact of LEDs on life-style and culture to be a lot moredramatic. First, LED home light-ing comes in an immense varietyof shapes and sizes, and hasenough variety to fit into anystandard of bulb-holder or sock-etfrom bayonet or screw-inbulb-holders to halogen-fit sock-ets and beyond. Second, it ema-nates a cooler and softer glowthat is aesthetically pleasing.Some of the most exotic modelscan be tuned to change their col-ours and tones at the touch of abutton. Imagine being able tochange the mood and ambienceof a room at your whim. Last

week, I picked a specific LEDbulb that looked like an ordinarylight bulb and hurled it to thefloor, much to the shock of pas-sers-by. They were even morestartled to see it just bouncearound without breakingand

when I picked it up and reinsert-

ed it into a bulb-hol der, i tseemed to glow with amusement.

A high price tagFor all its goodness, lo-cal Indian ret ail hashardl y st ocked up onLEDs so far. Attribute thisto the rather steep price.S ome bul bs can cost be-t ween Rs500-4,000 each.

You might find cheap andunbranded Chinese importsselling from a starting point ofRs90. I bought one but found itsquality rather disappointing andits light a dim bluish glow. Someupmarket home stores locatedin snazzy malls do sell a scantfew models of LED bulbs frompopular home-lighting brands,but expect each unit to sell fromRs350-425 and beyond. The on-line shopping world, in contrast,is abuzz with the excitement andabundant variety of LED bulbs.

However, be careful while or-dering onlinemost bulbs shipfor 120V, while India is stand-ardized on 220V.

Write to us atbusinessoflife@livemint.com

CCRANEGEOBULBAt7.5 watts,thisdirectreplacement bulbgives

asmuchlightasanordinary60-wattbulband

comesin threecolours.

Price: $119.95

From:onlineshopping atwww.ccrane.com

PHAROX40 WATTLEDLIGHTBULBREPLACEMENTThisbulbis90%moreefficientthanatraditionaloneand

producesaclaimed 230lumensof light.It operateswith

universalpowersupplyfrom 120Vto 230V.

Price: $32.95

From: onlineat www.eaglelight.com

PHILIPSIMAGEOLED RECHARGEABLECANDLELIGHTSItmimicsthelookofa candleina glass,andyoumaybeforgivenfor

mistakingitfortherealthing.Abasestationchargesasetoffourfor

upto20hoursofuse.Justshaketheglasstoswitchthemonanduse

thembothindoors andoutdoorsto recreatetheambience of

candlelightwithouttheriskoffireorhotwax.

Price: 29.99, withan estimatedstreetprice of19.55.Youmay

alsospot themat upmarketIndianretailoutlets forabout Rs3,500.From: Amazon.co.uk,butalsocheckIndianoutlets.

SYLVANIALED COLOR-CHANGINGNIGHTLIGHTUnlikemostnightlightsthatneedtobepluggedintoawallsocket,this

largesphericalball oflight runsonbutton-cell batteriesandswitches

onwithamerepressoftheball.Itcandisplayuptoeightstaticcolours

orautomaticallytransitionbetween them.

Price:$6.99From:onlineat smarthome.com.Alsocheck localstores.

PHILIPSLIVINGCOLORSFourtypesof LEDswithinthis distinctive-lookinglampoffer youa

richpaletteof16.8millioncoloursinwhichtobatheyourroom

interiors.A sleekremote controlallowsyou todynamicallychange

colourand saturationtocapturethe moodyou want.

Price: 119.99,withan estimatedstreetprice of79.00From:Amazon.co.uk

For all their energy efficiency andlongevity, consumers are facing anumber of problems with CFLs

If you break a CFL,take precautions toavoid mercury

exposure. Open awindow for at least15 minutes ifpossible and avoidvacuuming