Can you tell us What is the North American Wattage range of Light bulbs sold over the Counter (and what Voltage are they rated?)
or are there Pockets of 110v Households? whch must use a Higher wattage Bulb to get decent light
The UK Standard bulbs are 40 watt 60 watt 100 watt and 150 watt (which in older houses does overheat the cabling)
The New energy saving Low watt bulbs are equal to the 40,60 and 100 bulbs I have an 8 watt burning in this room which is like a slightly dim 40 watt bulb (takes a few seconds to get to full brightness)

Nominal 120 volt systems are standard in the U.S and Canada. The service entrance is 240/120, 3 wire single phase systems. A range of incandescent light bulbs go from 7 watt to 200. I believe you people in the U.K and Europe in general use 220 volts as standard, and 50 Herz (cycles per second) as compared to our 60 Hertz. Of course a Watt is a Watt and while a 120 volt 60 watt bulb consumes 1/2 Ampere, and a 240 volt 60 Watt lamp consumes only 1/4 Amp, they both produce an equal amount of heat. You, on the other hand can get by with smaller guage wire, but more insulation. The lamp that consumes 8 watts and gives as much illumination as a 40 watt incandescent, is (no doubt) a fluorescent, They are becoming very popular because of the energy savings, and they do last much longer.

The highest wattage incandescent light bulb available in the U.S. is 150 W. They used to make 200 W but I haven't seen them for years.

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) have improved over their harsher, bluer, slower-to-come-on ancestors of previous years. CFLs are so popular and cost-effective now that incandescents will be phased out in the coming decade, at least in some locales.

That's too bad because an incandescent on a dimmer, even at 90% brightness, seems to last forever.

quote:

Originally posted by Professor:

CFLs are so popular and cost-effective now that incandescents will be phased out in the coming decade, at least in some locales.

One locale is Europe. Under European Union regulations, incandescent bulbs of 100W and above won't be sold after September 2009 and all the rest shall be gone by the end of 2012.

While I enjoy the power savings of CFLs (I have an old house -- I worry about too much current through old wires), I think incandescents should remain available -- nothing like the yellow-warm glow of hot tungsten.

To compensate for the lack of U.S. drywall and wallboard when constructing new homes during Florida's housing boom a few years ago, contractors resorted to importing Chinese drywall.
This drywall has been linked to an odor of rotten eggs and to health disorders like irritated eyes, breathing difficulty, bloody noses and headaches. This defect has affected hundreds of homeowners in Florida, primarily in homes built in the last five years.
If you think your home is built of defective Chinese drywall, please contact my law firm, Dewey, Cheatham, & Howe

Edited with Glee

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,