Low energy bulbs

[trem86]

Both my 30 something sons have said they can hear high pitched noise when standing near the low energy light bulbs ( the longish type with 3 " u " shaped tubes rather than the conventional bulb shape ). I can't hear anything, but do have hearing loss. Do other people hear this noise ?

 

[ColinD]

They can have a frequency hum to them which some people can pick up on,ditch those types now and get LED ones, a lot more instant light (no warming up to get full intensity ) and use less energy

 

[westley]

I have just replaced 2 light fittings with 'new' low energy type lights. Compared to the fittings they have replaced, the light output is awful. I would have been better buying a couple of boxes of candles !

 

[Martinj]

No use asking shooters questions like that, I used to be able to hear Bats, Shrews squeaking in the hedgerows and all sorts. All that has gone after years of shooting.

 

[Daz W]

I had compact fluorescent bulb in my lounge uplighters that I could hear even at 50. One was significantly louder than the other. These we the newish g24q fitting (square plug with 4 pins) as opposed to the bayonet or Edison screw type we all know. Unfortunately it would appear that it's the ballast part bulb/light that makes the noise, and on the g24q type, the ballast is part of the light fitting, rather than the bulb. Swapped them out for older type fittings and LED bulbs. Problem solved.
Downside of LEDs is that they flicker. We can't see it flicker, but animals can, and it can annoy them. So try to ensure the lighting is indirect, or has a diffuser. One way to check is by viewing it using your mobile phone camera, which will pick up the strobing effect due to differences in the bulb frequency and the camera frame rate.