Saturday, March 08, 2008

Low Energy Lighbulbs

Huraah!!! I have finally replaced the last incandescent bulb in my house. The reason I took so long is that it was connected to a dimmer switch which have been a real problem for low energy bulbs. Homebase have finally started selling dimmable low energy bulbs made by a company called Varilight.

The bulb was a lot more expensive than an ordinary low energy bulb (£11.99) but I had wanted to replace the incandescent bulb for a long time and I expect the price will start to drop sooner or later. The bulb works pretty well with the dimmer although it take a significant fraction of a second to adjust so if you change the dimmer to quickly the light increases or decreases in sudden steps.

Overall the bulb is good but I think the price needs to come down before they'll really start selling.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Cool Looking Zero Emission Car!!!!!

The subject of why alternative fuel source cars look like plastic bricks has come up a few times on this blog. Antony is particularly passionate about the subject, often flying into extreme rants and demanding answers that we all want. This post should provide warm fuzzy feelings and calm all of our doubts about whether a cool looking car can be ever be environmentally friendly.

That great manufacturer of classic cars Morgan has developed a new vehicle it has called the Morgan Life Car (to be unveiled this month at the Geneva Motor Show). The Life Car motor is powered by hydrogen fuel cells and so only emits water. The Life Car itself however emits an look of classic elegance and style. The specs are not too bad: -

22KW motor
150 mpg
250 miles per tank
0-60mph in 7 seconds
100mph top speed.
50% energy recovered from regenerative braking

The Morgan Page is here
The BBC story is here


Now the pics