Letters
from the manufacturer. Patrick Baldrey, SLL
We will remain ‘hidden’ unless
president, is paraphrased as saying that “new
houses are built with tungsten halogen lamps
our pay and status improve
to comply with the building regulations as
they are twice as efficient as normal tungsten
Regarding Morwenna Wilson’s opinion education in building services: there are only bulbs”. Approved Document L1A (2006) for
column ‘A Hidden Professon’ (February, p24), two universities in the south east of England new dwellings calls for a proportion of the
of course I can only go by personal experience (my area) that offer building services-specific lighting fittings to have lamps with at least
but I have yet to speak to someone who is not courses – Southbank and Brunel – whereas 40 lumens per circuit watt. This cannot be
in the profession who knows what we are every university in the country runs other achieved by tungsten halogen lamps (as is
and what we do. When I explain that I am courses such as media, IT, and so on. stated in the Approved Document). Very few
a ‘mechanical engineer’, most people think I Like Morwenna, I too fell into building tungsten halogen lamps have twice the efficacy
work in a garage fixing cars. Indeed, the title of services engineering, after originally studying of incandescent lamps.
engineer is one that is presently being highly a more manufacturing-orientated degree, and In the ‘Myth-busters’ box it says that “in
abused in job titles. Every person that I have the vast majority of other engineers I have some cases (CFLs) are slightly smaller than
tried to engage in conversation about building their incandescent bulb equivalents”. Lengths
services shows a kindly interest but their eyes of the bare tube types have shortened, and
soon glaze over – even people with whom I I don’t even even the 20 watt, if with a spiral tube, can now
attended university and are now engineers
get paid the
be within the GLS overall length maximum
themselves. in BS EN 60064. But, in the last few years,
However, the problem with enticing the starting salary of £40k at manufacturers have reduced the diameter of
young into building services isn’t simply to
the level of an intermediate
the bulbs used on GLS lamps, lowering the
do with our obscurity, it also has a lot to do overall length to about 95 mm. Which CFL
with the poor remuneration that comes with engineer with a can match that? Perhaps, more importantly, on
the job; I recently read that the supermarket
masters degree
CFLs the section containing the ballast still has
group Aldi is offering graduates a starting a bigger diameter than the 34mm maximum
salary of £40,000 a year, rising to £60,000 neck specified for GLS lamps.
after three years, an Audi A4 company car, spoken to have done the same. In order to “The challenge in terms of communications
private health insurance, pension and other attract new engineers the industry needs to that we all face... is to positively educate the
benefits. I don’t get paid even the starting do three things. market about the real truths...” One truth that
salary of £40k at the level of an intermediate First, make the public more aware of has been ignored is that lighting levels are
engineer with a masters degree, so I certainly building services engineers, what we do, being dumbed down by substituting CFLs. The
can’t blame young people choosing a different how our jobs allow us to effect the built initial light output of the claimed equivalents
career path! environment and make an environmental are only some 90 per cent of the GLS they are
Also, the job of a building services engineer impact. Secondly, make the choice of a career supposed to replace if the CFLs are bare tube
isn’t a very secure one. I have personally been in building services an attractive one through types, and 80 per cent for those with outer
made redundant three times in the past five good remuneration packages, respect for bulbs. Then the light output during life, even
years and, with the credit crunch now in our roles and secure and rewarding jobs. at 2000 hours, falls further than GLS lamps
full swing and the subsequent downturn in Finally, increase the training available for new do. There is a major difference in light output
the construction industry, this can only get engineers. distribution which can lead to more losses in
worse. Russell Jackson the shade and less light where it is generally
On top of this there is the problem of further Mechanical engineer, Sussex, UK needed. Where is the CFL replacement that
can match the real life performance of the now
discontinued 100W GLS ?
Lets get the facts in focus on the The statement “CFLs last 10 times as long The draft regulations being discussed in the
great light bulb debate as ordinary tungsten bulbs” is an exaggeration EU, (which at present exclude reflector lamps),
Congratulations on your first issue. In the article for the types of CFL on the market now, which distinguish between “clear” and “non-clear”
‘Shedding little light’ (February 2009, page 18) are commonly quoted as 6,000 or 8,000 lamps. CFLs are “non-clear”, but in the “clear”
you quote comments from a number of people hours. On the subject of flicker, I have always category much less energy efficient types will
defending compact fluorescent energy saving believed, as was stated, that modern types be permitted. At present these are likely to be
lamp replacements (CFLs) after the Daily Mail with high-frequency ballasts put the problem jacketed tungsten halogen lamps with xenon
attack. While there is a good financial case for behind us, until I saw one flicker. Not the 50 gas filling, but they use 70 per cent of the
using CFLs and most of the comments were cycle flicker associated with choke ballasts, but energy of the lamp they replace, compared with
sound, I believe some inaccuracies crept in, a momentary drop in light output repeated after about 25 per cent for CFLs. They will cost more
which could mislead, and one problem was varying times from five seconds to a minute and than GLS lamps, but come on instantly, can
not addressed. slowing with longer burning. I await comment be used on existing dimmers, and will virtually
16 CIBSE Journal March 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmar09 pp16-17 letters.indd 16 5/3/09 16:38:11
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