How on earth would one know??

That was the case with some lights at secondary school. The bulk of the fluorescent battens were the old T12 fade-in quick start ones, but it seemed like every classroom (or every other one) had a T8 replacement fitting in one of the corners. Often there'd be a T12 batten with a T8 in it, and a T8 batten with a T12 in it, which looked huge!

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I noticed that some lights sold in B&Q (undercupboard lights, I think) use a T4 fluorescent lamp

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As for mercury gear, I'm hoping that Des is setting aside some ballasts from column bases of each column that gets Jet'd

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I have an undercupboard light in me kitchen i'll have a look at what lamp it is, I'm guessing but it could be a T4.

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From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.

Yeah, my school does that! They seem to be using T8s more than T12s at the moment, and as a fair few of our 'Thorn' lights have lost their cases, I can see! We also have a few ancient Crompton fittings that have quick start gear [I think] and they turn on really quickly, but few of the fittings have T8s and when you turn on the light, they just go orange at both ends, and you have to turn it off and on again, and the lamp goes deep purple and slowly warms up at the ends and in the middle finally producing white! The sockets were obviously designed for T12 because the diameter space is much different for a T8 being used there to a T12!

We also have a few 'Atlas' fittings on long chains, but these start-up normally.

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"I used to rule the world... Now I sweep the streets I used to own."
Remembering GEC.

I checked in Wilko's earlier and they have quite a few T12's and T8's left and are around £4.

I am tempted to to convert my strip light fitting to operate on C9 Halogens so the ballast and pin fittings would be taken out and a strip of cable with cable connectors and the C9 lamp installed at 20 inch points. I don't know if it would be bright enough but i hope it would be roughly the same lumens as the T12.

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From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.

C9 Halogen? I don't think I've ever heard of them...

As for old flu fittings, in the very early years of my schooling while I was in Infant school (but the building had primary school upstairs) they had really big old fluorescent fittings on old and rather rusty looking chains. I remember teachers telling us one year that the new school year would start a week or two later as a new electric system was being installed. When school did restart (sadly too soon for me as I hated school!) there was all metal conduit snaking up the walls, no cables visible at all, and gridswitches, new exit lights, and the fluorescent lights were twin T8's with prismatic diffusers on metal tube suspension.

Who knows, maybe that kicked off my interest in electrical work......

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Oh yeah, an interesting BBC article to read here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8406923.stm

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Some info regarding the domestic side of potential lamp bans:-

For Domestic Lighting

01.09.2009:
Clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class C for
lamps ≥ 950 lm, Class E for other lamps (e.g. phase out
GLS 100 watts and above)
Non-clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class A
for all lamps (at present some CFLi and LEDs)
Requirements for new product information on the
packaging
New technical specifications required for each
technology

01.09.2010:
Clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class C for
lamps ≥ 725 Im (e.g. phase out GLS 75 watts)

01.09.2011:
Clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class C for
lamps ≥ 450 Im (e.g. phase out GLS 60 watts)

01.09.2012:
Clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class C for
lamps ≥ 60 Im (e.g. phase out GLS above 7 watts)

01.09.2013:
Increased requirements for technical specifications,
defined in 2009
Phase out of Decorative Lamps with S14, S15 or S19 bases

2014:
Review of the regulations by the EU Commission

2016:
Clear lamps: Minimum requirement Energy Class B
for all lamps except those with G9 and R7s bases
(= phase out the current Class C HALOGEN ENERGY SAVER Lamps)
Phase out all lamps with E14/E27/B22d/B15d bases and
voltages above 60 volts


The only Lamps that are not affected by the ban under the EU directive, are as Follows:-

Aircraft & Airport Lighting such as Filament/Halogen Lamps for Approach, Runway, Taxiway, and Obstruction Lighting, and Aircraft Lighting, and Discharge Lamps for all Exterior Airport Applications, Pet Care such as Aquarium and Terrarium Lamps, Germicidal lamps, Infrared Heat lamps (all types), Stage and Studio lamps  - Theatres,Television and, Film Studios, Photographic lamps – (Studio, Enlarger and Darkroom Lamps),
Projection lamps, Train lighting, including Signal Lighting, Traffic Signal lamps, Automotive lighting/lamps, Oven lamps, Fridge lamps, Temperature Shock-Proof and Rough Service lamps, Mirror lamps.

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Also, some eco-nutjob wants us to wash less and stop drinking coffee, because we're killing polar bears.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/08 ... t_for_you/

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Just a question...

What is the average Joe meant to do with his lava lamp when the decorative bulbs are phased out?

I doubt that a tea light would have the same effect......

For all we know, they're probably thinking of banning candles too, because of the carbon emissions...! wouldn't suprise me if something random like that were true.

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The C9's are capsual halogens, these were the one that i was mentioning to you a few weeks back. I;ll see if i can find an image.

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From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.

do you mean the tiny little ones with 2 pins on them, come in 10w, 20w and 50w versions? as I have three lights that take 10w capsule lamps... believe it or not, they're emergency lights and really effective as they're brighter running off the battery pack than when running from a 12v torodial transformer!

I'll have to fish them out, as they're in a box somewhere - I know the box with the inverter and battery packs is up on the storage deck, but I packed the lights seperately.

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