Fred Bass – King of Energy Saving Lights

TransitonVert asked Fred Bass, Director of Neonlite International Ltd and brand owners of Megaman bulbs a few questions about their Eco-bulbs…

1. How much can a household save (in money and carbon) if they

change their 6 halogen light bulbs to MEGAMAN® light bulbs?

Great question, but this depends entirely on how long their lights are on. For instance, if the household has their lights on for a full 24 hours per day, they can expect a payback in six months if they replace their halogen by LEDs. However, if they replace them with our CFLs, then the pay back would be much faster. A product such as an 11W GU10 in CFL is a great one for the home and there are also options now in LED of course.

Not only will you be saving energy by also a CO₂ saving – For example 1.4 tonnes of CO₂ can be saved by using just six 11W GU10 CFLs for the rated life of 15,000hrs.

2. What is the most exciting eco product MEGAMAN presently has on sale and can they give us a glimpse of what is coming in the future?

The most exciting product at the moment is the LED Classic which is a direct replacement for traditional light bulbs. These are currently available in 5W and 8W (this is equivalent up to 40W in a traditional light bulb) which is already a useful wattage for your typical household and will last around 15 years if used for 4 hours a day.

A glimpse into the future for MEGAMAN® – we are currently extending this range in higher power units with LED replacements for the widely used, 60W light bulbs. These products are light-weight and have a similar shape to ordinary light bulbs. They emit light in all directions just like the old technology so there are no ugly shadows created on a light shade. On top of this they have good colour rendering which means that they replicate the warm colour of a traditional light bulb and are dimmable which is great as more and more consumers begin to understand the impact of lighting on the mood/feel of a room.

3. How would MEGAMAN® respond to critics that claim eco-light bulbs are bad for health and cost more in energy and carbon to produce than keeping your old incandescent light bulb?

A simple response to this is that these claims are not true. The energy cost saving and the lesser effect on the environment are far more significant than the energy consumed to make them. Putting it into context, one LED is the equivalent to at least 25 traditional light bulbs meaning you cannot really compare the energy costs of making one LED and that of making one incandescent.

As for the health issue, there is an obvious lack of information in the market which leads to scare stories. It is the role of the industry to educate the public, which is something we will try to address not only through our website and catalogues but also by working together with various environmental organisations, government offices and our industry colleagues.

MEGAMAN® LEDs offer a light spectrum which is more in line with the colour emitted by traditional light bulbs and there are no harmful UVs or infra-red radiation. As for CFLs, all of MEGAMAN®’s lamps are made using amalgam mercury rather than the traditional method of liquid mercury. This means that that almost all of the very little mercury t contained in the bulbs will not escape even in case of breakage.