I like their style

Cressers

Sticking two fingers up to the Evil Empire...

BERLIN (Reuters) – A German entrepreneur is bypassing a European Union ban on light bulbs of more than 60 watts by marketing his own brand as mini heaters.

Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs -- by producing them in China, importing them as "small heating devices" and selling them as "heatballs."

To improve energy efficiency, the EU has banned the sale of bulbs of over 60 watts -- to the annoyance of the mechanical engineer from the western city of Essen.

Rotthaeuser studied EU legislation and realized that because the inefficient old bulbs produce more warmth than light -- he calculated heat makes up 95 percent of their output, and light just 5 percent -- they could be sold legally as heaters.

On their website (http://heatball.de/), the two engineers describe the heatballs as "action art" and as "resistance against legislation which is implemented without recourse to democratic and parliamentary processes."

Costing 1.69 euros each ($2.38), the heatballs are going down well -- the first batch of 4,000 sold out in three days.

Rotthaeuser has pledged to donate 30 cents of every heatball sold to saving the rainforest, which the 49-year-old sees as a better way of protecting the environment than investing in energy-saving lamps, which contain toxic mercury.

Bobbinogs

Good on him.

The blinking nanny state often misses the point on a lot of things, in particular green issues. Rather than stick a high tax on 4x4's, the logical thing to do would be to increase the tax on petrol since it is usage that (possibly) impacts the environment. Same goes for lightbulbs. I can be more green by ensuring that I turn a lightbulb off when I do not need it as opposed to getting a low wattage light and leaving it on all night. I am all for low wattage bulbs but like to be able to make a choice, like not wearing saftey goggles when playing conkers, yeah!

Ollieda

I work in the decor department of a hardware store......a large porportion of my times is spent explaining to customers why they can't get high wattage bulbs or frosted glass bulbs (of any wattage).

I'm yet to have a single customer reply saying its a good idea they brought in such legislation.

rick_chasey

Bobbinogs wrote:

Good on him.

The blinking nanny state often misses the point on a lot of things, in particular green issues. Rather than stick a high tax on 4x4's, the logical thing to do would be to increase the tax on petrol since it is usage that (possibly) impacts the environment. Same goes for lightbulbs. I can be more green by ensuring that I turn a lightbulb off when I do not need it as opposed to getting a low wattage light and leaving it on all night. I am all for low wattage bulbs but like to be able to make a choice, like not wearing saftey goggles when playing conkers, yeah!

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

rick_chasey

Ollieda wrote:

I work in the decor department of a hardware store......a large porportion of my times is spent explaining to customers why they can't get high wattage bulbs or frosted glass bulbs (of any wattage).

I'm yet to have a single customer reply saying its a good idea they brought in such legislation.

That might be because those who like the legilsation probably don't go and buy high wattage bulbs.

daviesee

Rick Chasey wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

Good on him.

The blinking nanny state often misses the point on a lot of things, in particular green issues. Rather than stick a high tax on 4x4's, the logical thing to do would be to increase the tax on petrol since it is usage that (possibly) impacts the environment. Same goes for lightbulbs. I can be more green by ensuring that I turn a lightbulb off when I do not need it as opposed to getting a low wattage light and leaving it on all night. I am all for low wattage bulbs but like to be able to make a choice, like not wearing saftey goggles when playing conkers, yeah!

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

Like this car for the rich boys?

http://www.fiat.co.uk/showroom/?id=4038 ... x4/explore

Bobbinogs

Rick Chasey wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

Good on him.

The blinking nanny state often misses the point on a lot of things, in particular green issues. Rather than stick a high tax on 4x4's, the logical thing to do would be to increase the tax on petrol since it is usage that (possibly) impacts the environment. Same goes for lightbulbs. I can be more green by ensuring that I turn a lightbulb off when I do not need it as opposed to getting a low wattage light and leaving it on all night. I am all for low wattage bulbs but like to be able to make a choice, like not wearing saftey goggles when playing conkers, yeah!

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

I agree. I am not saying putting up tax on petrol is a good thing, but it is the logical thing to do if one believes that petrol usage is one of the causes of the end of the world. After all, having a thirsty car that does 1,000 miles a year is far "greener" than a fancy hybrid that does 50,000.

unixnerd

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

This was initially brought up as 4x4s. I don't own a 4x4 but after last winter during which I couldn't get my car out of my street for over 2 weeks I'm seriously thinking about getting an old LandRover for the winter. I'll be lucky if it does over 2000 miles a year and I'll only tax / insure it for six months of the year. Some people need 4x4s, it's not a fashion statement or about raping the environment for the hell of it. It especially bugs me that farmers are affected by this, some of them are pretty well off but many more (such as crofters) are making very little.

And we already pay at least 10p a litre for fuel more than city dwellers.

rick_chasey

unixnerd wrote:

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

This was initially brought up as 4x4s. I don't own a 4x4 but after last winter during which I couldn't get my car out of my street for over 2 weeks I'm seriously thinking about getting an old LandRover for the winter. I'll be lucky if it does over 2000 miles a year and I'll only tax / insure it for six months of the year. Some people need 4x4s, it's not a fashion statement or about raping the environment for the hell of it. It especially bugs me that farmers are affected by this, some of them are pretty well off but many more (such as crofters) are making very little.

And we already pay at least 10p a litre for fuel more than city dwellers.

Don't farmers profit quite considerably from EU money anyway?Or at least, isn't their produce made competitive by EU subsidies?

Weejie54

I'm seriously thinking about getting an old LandRover for the winter. I'll be lucky if it does over 2000 miles a year and I'll only tax / insure it for six months of the year.

If you get one old enough, the road tax is zero. A friend of mine has a 1971 Series 2. Because it was made before 1973, it is classed as a historic vehicle. Zero tax.

unixnerd

If you get one old enough, the road tax is zero. A friend of mine has a 1971 Series 2. Because it was made before 1973, it is classed as a historic vehicle. Zero tax.

Actually I was looking at a local '72 ex-military Lightweight with a Landcruiser engine and RangeRover chassis (coil instead of Leaf springs, much better). Big problem with old (and not so old) LandRovers is that they rust big time. Also, tax free ones cost more to buy. Best value are actually mid-90s Discoveries, you can get a decent one for 1500 quid.

Don't farmers profit quite considerably from EU money anyway? Or at least, isn't their produce made competitive by EU subsidies?

Yes, alas. But I'm not really qualified to discuss the merits of that one.

Weejie54

Big problem with old (and not so old) LandRovers is that they rust big time.

True. However, my friend has fitted a new (galvanised) chassis and bulkhead. He also replaced the petrol engine with a diesel. Rather silly that this can be classed as historic. The emissions test for older diesels is the old style "floor the pedal and look for smoke" rather than meter reading. I have an old diesel car that is not quite old enough for the zero tax. Too expensive to put back on the road. I reckon it spews out less smoke than my friend's LR too.

Sirius631

unixnerd wrote:

Big problem with old (and not so old) LandRovers is that they rust big time. .

Go for a Defender, they are aluminium so don't rust.

mroli

Crikey - is this going to turn into a steel v aluminium LAND ROVER argument??!!

Weejie54

Go for a Defender, they are aluminium so don't rust.

No different than a series 2. The Defender has a steel chassis and bulkhead. The series 2 has aluminium panels.

http://www.duckfieldengineering.com/defender/guide.htm

TMR

Rick Chasey wrote:

A tax on petrol hurts the poor. A tax on expensive cars doesn't.

Who cares about the poor? If they can't afford the petrol then perhaps they ought to stick to the bus?

unixnerd

If they can't afford the petrol then perhaps they ought to stick to the bus?

Clearly someone who's never tried to catch a bus in the Highlands. They are rare creatures, seldom seen and not very reliably sighted. Even then it's normally far quicker and a bit cheaper to just drive yourself.

dmch2

The bus stop near my Dad's has one bus a week. So you can get into the local town (6 miles away) with the nearest shops but can't come back until the following week!

dmch2

It's also well worth getting winter tyres on a separate set of wheels. The result is slightly better than a 4x4 on normal summer tyres.

In Scandinavia it's illegal not to do this and they're all fine driving 2WD volvos in winter.

Weejie54

Clearly someone who's never tried to catch a bus in the Highlands. They are rare creatures, seldom seen and not very reliably sighted. Even then it's normally far quicker and a bit cheaper to just drive yourself.

I took the postbus from Lairg to Tongue once. Not exactly an express, but worth the effort.

unixnerd

It's also well worth getting winter tyres on a separate set of wheels.

I do that on my BMW, works a treat. Until the snow is over the depth of the front spoiler!

[quoteI took the postbus from Lairg to Tongue once. Not exactly an express, but worth the effort.[/quote]

Sadly they've removed most of those. They had a council subsidy to carry passengers and it's recently been cancelled :-(

Weejie54

Sadly they've removed most of those.

I think the Tongue/Lairg service is still going. Route 134.