On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 22:23:10 +0100, David Hansen wrote
(in article ):

On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 22:03:00 +0100 someone who may be Andy Hall
wrote this:-

What nonsense? Plug the control gear into the bayonet, fit bulb.
When the bulb fails replace bulb. No mess, no nonsense.

It is nonsense. The light should fit the fitting that the customer already
has.

It did.

The product has to be the right price.

This goes back to ignorance, or we can call it something else. In
most markets the informed will often buy a more expensive product if
they can, if they feel the price buys them something they want.

Absolutely. However, it isn't ignorance, it's lack of compelling story.



Offering something at the cheapest price in the market is not a
guarantee of success.

Agreed. these fail on that premise as well. there is little interest on a
"premium product" basis either.




It has to look right.

Different people put different emphasis on how things look,
especially if the product is to be installed inside something else.
Compact fluorescent lamps come in a various of looks anyway.

Still not compelling unless you are willing to put up with these
compromises.Why on earth would anybody want a spirally thing hanging out of a
lamp fitting?




It has to be appealing.

Ditto.

It has to fit easily and right

In most cases push in and twist, just like the GLS bulb one is
replacing. There can be an issue with physical size, but there can
be with GLS bulbs too.

and be no worse than what the customer can easily buy.

Compact fluorescent bulbs are a lot better in many respects.
Electricty/cost saving and not having to change the thing so often
are two examples.


It's not selling though, is it. Despite all the greeny arguments about
energy saving, flag waving, pretending that these are the same, the reality
is that they aren't and people are not finding them compelling enough to buy.

The mistake is in the misguided belief that everybody should be eco-minded.
They aren't.

there are three ways to address that:

- price. hasn't worked with subsidised bulbs
- TCO. Doesn't fly because it's too complicated.
- Plug and play. Even that hasn't been achieved.






Here we have a situation where you think that CFLs are the greatest thing
since Adam had intercourse with Eve.

It is always reassuring when the best people can do is distort the
arguments of others. If they have better arguments they usually put
them forward.



The trouble is that I would like to think the the situation is really better
than I describe. I am searching very hard for evidence without agenda that
suggests that it is.


At the end of the day, unless one distorts the market through legislation
(which always backfires), the market will vote with its wallet.

If you actually want to make a difference to this, you will need to have a
much better story because the present one works only for a tiny minority.