Bulgarian Dim Lighting Or Is It Just Me???

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Hi there,

Quick question about lighting in Bulgaria. Since I was told by an old 'friend' saying "the electrics aren't like they are in the uk they are very weak blah blah blah" I'm paranoid that my lighting is very poor and causing my eyes to strain when reading, on the computer etc. Problem is, the rooms are fairly big :( and the light bulbs used are around 75 watts which doesn't help and I'm not sure how high the wattage allowed is. I'm clueless on electrics you see lol I must admit i've only really seen 75watt bulbs here.

So was just basically wondering as the electrics are weaker here than in UK, does that mean the lighting is duller here than in the UK or is it just me being paranoid?? My eyes have felt a bit tired lately but maybe that's because of the sun as it's very strong during the day.

Hope someone can shed some light on this haha :mrgreen:
 
the electrics should be identical to uk
suggest you need at least a 75w bulb for every 10 square metres minimum
 
The voltage is probably lower than here (true)

I suggest you buy some CFLs (energy saving lamps).

They are very tolerant of voltage variations, as well as lasting a long time and using less electricity). I expect you will need screw fittings (ES, Edison Screw) not the UK standard BC (Bayonet Cap)

I would consider a 100W filament lamp, or a 22W CFL, the minimum acceptable for a room 4 metres square.

If you have wall lamps and table lamps, each can be smaller but you will need more of them.. Lampshades will reduce light output.
 
big-all said:
the electrics should be identical to uk
suggest you need at least a 75w bulb for every 10 square metres minimum
Click to expand...

Hmm, i don't think the electrics are as strong. It's like for some reason when I put the kettle on, the lights dimmer slightly until the water is boiled even though the lights are on their own circuit and sockets on another. It's as though there's an overload on the system and til now never found an explanation for it.

JohnD said:
The voltage is probably lower than here (true)

I suggest you buy some CFLs (energy saving lamps).

They are very tolerant of voltage variations, as well as lasting a long time and using less electricity). I expect you will need screw fittings (ES, Edison Screw) not the UK standard BC (Bayonet Cap)

I would consider a 100W filament lamp, or a 22W CFL, the minimum acceptable for a room 4 metres square.

If you have wall lamps and table lamps, each can be smaller but you will need more of them.. Lampshades will reduce light output.
Click to expand...

Yea the voltage is 230v and uk is 240v. Do you know if this would negatively impact the brightness of the lighting or does it merely just depend on wattage of bulb used?

My bedroom is about 4 metres by 5 metres and I only have an overhead 75 watt bulb in at the moment and thinking of adding an additonal two overhead lights. The lighting in there is so dull!
 
the dimming lights are due to voltage drop, this always happens under load, and is proportional to the length of the cables and the load, and inversely to the thickness of the cable.

Lower voltage makes lights dimmer.

It will be less noticable with CFLs.

the nominal voltage and the actual voltage may not be the same, but UK voltage is generally higher than in other European countries.

Network design may be different in your country.

I think 75W is too low anyway.
 
The voltage doesn't matter as long as the correct voltage bulbs are used. Whether the voltage is as stated at 230v or not is another thing.

75w does sound rather low for your size of room. If you can't get a bigger one consider more lights or low energy types.
 
Using the terms 'stong' and 'weak' isnt really very helpfully.

Its quite belivable that high current appliances pull the voltage down a little due to increased voltage drop in the cable (V=IR) which is more noticable if the cable is thinner or further from the substation. It happens an amount in the UK too, and will cause the bulbs to become dimmer while its being used.

Running at 230v rather than 240v will also reduced the brightness assuming the bulbs are otherwise the same. Obviously a 75w bulb will typically given out more light than a 60w but less than a 100w! I would always have more than one bulb in a room for shadow reasons, but equally, 75w in a 4*5m room isnt a lot. Room and ceiling colour also have a huge effect, which is why ceilings are normally white.


Daniel
 
Hi folks,

Many thanks for all of your replies. Gives me more of an idea now. Just wanted to see what you guys thought.

It's annoying because i've just recently decorated my bedroom with new wallpaper so can't add any wall lights!!! But hopefully not to worry because I haven't wallpapered the ceiling so allows me to add overhead lights, will just mean I can't add any separate switches for them. Oh well, suppose I could always put the switches for them on the ceiling and just stand on a chair everytime I need to turn them on or off :oops: Must admit I have actually seen that done back in the UK except it wasn't a switch for a light bulb but for an extractor fan.
 
you may have decorated the walls, but you can have as many standard lamps and table lamps as you want.

I find table lamps in a living room give a more comfortable feel of lighting than ceiling pendants do, and you can use them to give a less bright evening ambiance.

If Bulgarian lamps are usually European ES I would recommend you stick with that rather than changing to UK standard BC or US screw (which is different size)

You can stock up with CFLs at subsidised prices on your next visit to the UK

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceri...45483738&bmUID=1339845483738&screenWidth=1360

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/browse/default.aspx?searchBox=lightbulb&N=4294792088

they do sell ES as well but not so popular over here.
 
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