The Light Man Cometh

Australia really is the lucky country. Blessed with natural resources, saving energy really is the last thing on many people’s minds. Abundant coal means that electricity is there for the taking... and that induces a certain irrational exuberance in what remains of the national consciousness.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs, with Aga for comparison

And boy, do they like their their juice. I thought I’d been beamed down a rabbit hole and transported to some alternative universe where electricity was too cheap to meter, when I found the joy Australians have in 200watt carbon filament bulbs (illegal in all states in the EU now), along with heating their houses using electricity, an almost total absence of double glazing, and even the incredibly inefficient heating hot water with an immersion heater – again, the Australian standard, even though it costs vastly more than using, say, a decent gas boiler.

Indeed, I was shocked that not only had the builders rebuilt this flimsy wooden shack with no insulation in the walls, they’d also built it with no heating other than the 8kW (yes, 8!) industrial strength aircon plant, which of course has dual redundancy incase of a failure. Each time I turn it on so I can work on the latest Emirates A380 Seating Plan in the cool, the lights go dim! And the place is of course littered with 200 watt light bulbs, or for those outside... 500 watts. You can probably see this place on the moon.

I’m not attempting to join the bunny-huggers, or even be all that green, as I try and drag this house into some modern British sense of living. All I’m trying to do is keep the electricity bill in four figures... and so I’ve been shopping for energy saving light bulbs, swapping over every old one I find – I’ve been up and down the ladder like a light switch.

I’m used to the normal types you’d get down any Ikea in the UK. 8, 12, or 16 watts if you really want to throw the boat out, and go overboard into the house. Not so in Aussieland.

30, 45, or the amazing 60 watt monsters are the standard. They are literally the biggest light bulbs I have ever seen! They throw out a stunning 4000 candle power.

It takes energy saving to a whole new league. At least I can see the light at the end of the rainbow.