[fewtch]

Relating back (in a way) to "peak oil"...

Has everyone seen/heard of those new compact fluorescent light bulbs by now?

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

"If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road."

The nearby drugstore was having an incredible sale on these ($3.50 apiece, with a $2.00 off instant coupon on every bulb) so I replaced many of the incandescent bulbs in my house with these. They put out an approximately equal amount of light at 1/3 to 1/4 the wattage of normal light bulbs, and last six to ten times longer (or so they say).

I replaced three 60-watt bulbs in my bedroom (used a LOT) with three 13-watt fluorescents:

180 watts --> 39 watts

Replaced two 60-watt bulbs in the hallway with two 19-watt fluorescents:

120 watts --> 38 watts

Replaced the 60-watt bulb in my walk-in closet with a 23 watt fluorescent:

60 watts --> 23 watts

Total energy savings (so far anyway, I may replace a few more):

360 watts --> 100 watts

These new compact fluorescents can be expensive, but -- are they really as "expensive" as dependence on foreign oil? And if they last as long as they're supposed to, the energy savings should cover the purchase price several times over.

I haven't felt so good about doing anything in a long time. Think about getting a few of these compact fluorescents.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Good job Tim. I hope many more start replacing items with their energy efficient counterpart. Some things don't work as well when replaced, but with flourescent bulbs it's a no-brainer.

Let us know if your electric bill drops at all. That's the ultimate test. If that stays the same, it's a waste of moola.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador Good job Tim. I hope many more start replacing items with their energy efficient counterpart. Some things don't work as well when replaced, but with flourescent bulbs it's a no-brainer. Let us know if your electric bill drops at all. That's the ultimate test. If that stays the same, it's a waste of moola.

I think it'll drop a bit, but energy is relatively cheap in WA. state (altho it's dark and overcast alot around here

). This would help more in states like California (and others) with sky-high energy prices.

Edit -- the only downside to these bulbs is they contain mercury (potential pollution problem)... but I think it's worth it when energy is starting to become such a big issue.

 

[Edwood]

Yes, I replaced my bulbs with those awhile ago. One of the cheapest places to get them is from IKEA.

Of course fluorescent lights add so much EMI noise that I ended up getting a PS Audio P300 AC regenerator that wastes nearly 50% of it's energy use during the conversion.

So I took 5 steps foward and 4 steps back.

-Ed

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Edwood Yes, I replaced my bulbs with those awhile ago. One of the cheapest places to get them is from IKEA.

Check this -- the 60-watt equiv. (store brand) at Bartell Drugstore nearby my house are selling for $2.00 apiece, with a $2 instant off coupon

. Only charge is tax on a $2 purchase.

The higher wattage equiv. bulbs they're selling (Sylvania) are $3.50 apiece with a $2 instant off coupon per bulb. Dunno how much longer it's gonna last, so I stocked up on a few extras.
Quote:

Originally posted by Edwood Of course fluorescent lights add so much EMI noise that I ended up getting a PS Audio P300 AC regenerator that wastes nearly 50% of it's energy use during the conversion. So I took 5 steps foward and 4 steps back. -Ed

Funny, I tried turning on my shortwave radio (battery powered) after installing all those bulbs, and the overall noise level didn't seem significantly worse. Could be they put out more EMI than RFI, or maybe it's traditional fluorescents that put out far more noise (this new technology is practically "instant-on" and I think RF/EMI should at least be improved over the traditional types -- these don't seem to flicker either, compared to the long tube type fluorescents).

 

[KYTGuy]

The best part of the deal is that you can now power your whole lighting load, AND have the widescreen online, have the heater and hot water, with a SMALLER, CHEAPER, generator!

 

[Elec]

I had one of those, though it burned out way sooner than it was supposed to. Could have just been a singel crappy bulb. I had it in a desk lamp and, as far as I could tell, it was instant-on with no flicker at any time. I rented a small house last year that had just been renovated and I was surprised (and happy) to notice that almost every single light in the whole house was fluorescent. The bedrooms and living room had small fixtures installed on the walls with fluorescent lights in them. The kitchen had one large fluorescent panel. The bathroom also had a fluorescent overhead light but a couple typical incandescent bulbs over the mirror. Can't win 'em all I guess. The incandescents were the only ones that needed replacing in the year I lived there. My dad uses halogen bulbs for his outdoor porch and garage lights. Not because of the energy savings, but because I convinced him that they last longer and he wouldn't have to go unscrew the globes to change the bulbs every month or two

 

[zeplin]

The "fun fact" I learned about, which I have in my notes from a Environmental Science class, is that if every household in America had one of these energy star light bulbs in them, we could eliminate over 100 power plants! I don't know how true this is, but I don't see it being too far from the truth.
I personally have 6 in my house. They've been burnin bright for well over a year now.

 

[Demolition]

A few years ago, I put compact fluorescents in every fixture in my house that could accept them. Almost 50 bulbs in total. Only a few fixtures, such as my outdoor security lights, still have incandescents (because fluorescents, even those that supposedly work with motion detectors and dimmers, perform inconsistently on those types of fixtures).

I use less energy and buy fewer bulbs, and the end result is that I save money.

Quote:

Originally posted by EdwoodOf course fluorescent lights add so much EMI noise that I ended up getting a PS Audio P300 AC regenerator that wastes nearly 50% of it's energy use during the conversion.

Like fewtch, I haven't seen an increase in EMI/RFI from using compact fluorescents. I've got them in every room, as mentioned, but it's not noticeable.

Usually, bulbs labelled as being Energy Star-compliant also fulfill government EMI/RFI requirements, as well. Canada also supposedly has stricter filtering requirements for fluorescent ballasts. Maybe that has something to do with it, in my case.

D.

 

[lini]

I've been using these fluorescent lamps for quite a while now - the first one's still at my parents place; then a few more, when I moved to my own place in Munich ~ 10 years ago; and now even more here in Hannover (mostly from Ikea this time - these tend to produce some audible noise, though, but only very faint...) - and I'm very pleased. In all those years I only once had to replace the one in my main room in Munich. One should note, though, that the fluorescents perform best for longer burn times - so, for example, if you are a frequent hand-washer like me, you'd better use conventional bulbs in the bathroom...

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[funnytimes]

Using energy-saving bulbs made a diference of $15 in the electricity bill, it paid for itself in the first month. However, the bulbs dont dim anymore when the knob is turned in the living room. Also, there is a noticable sound coming out of the dimmer knob, enough to be occasionally bothersome.

 

[lini]

funnytimes: Ah, yes, that should be another application note - the fluorescents are not meant to be dimmed. For that purpose, conventional or those small halogen bulbs should be used.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[terrymx]

but you know they can make a lightbulbs that last for years and years. they just dont make it because then they cant make money out of that.

i will try to look for these engerystar lightbulbs. naturally, i hate unnatural lights.....and lights itself.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

In the Continental Airlines sales magazine they list those super long-life incandescent bulbs. They're about $2 each, but are super-rugged and last at least 10,000 hours. With those in areas where you can't get to easily, life would be much easier. They don't put out as much light as a normal bulb, the 100w one puts out like 80w of light, but with that long a life it's perfect for those who don't want to change bulbs all the time, nor switch to something like halogens or flourescent.