HEATBALL: Rebranded Incandescent or Resistance Art?

HEATBALL: Rebranded Incandescent or Resistance Art?

By now it is well known that incandescents are very inefficient sources of light because of the amount of energy wasted in heat output rather than light output. It's because of this that recently incandescents were banned in the EU. Not everyone is happy about this, and recently two German engineers developed a product called a HEATBALL — it's both a heat source and art, and it looks exactly like an incandescent bulb. So what is it really?

According to the engineers, while the HEATBALL fits into an incandescent socket, it is not a lightbulb:


Here are the additional uses and claims, according to the HEATBALL website:

  • A heatball is a source of heat. By using heatballs, the heating effort of a normal house is effectively assisted.
  • Real HEATBALLS are used to heat and are not as such lamps.
  • HEATBALL is an Art Action and connects the people of Europe with warmth
  • HEATBALL is free from mercury, independent from lobbyists,and a symbol of free mind

The last point seems to say it all. The HEATBALL, while clearly a re-marketed incandescent, is a statement by the 'engineers' in opposition to government regulations and a outcry for more effective and larger scale environmental invitiatives. More from HEATBALL:


HEATBALL has pledged to donate € 0,30 from each purchase to a project saving the rain forests. In the meantime the product is currently sold out and all future orders are being held back by customs.

What do you think, should the HEATBALL be outlawed? Should people have a right to choose their own light and energy sources?

via: Grist


Created with Sketch.