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Thread: Do CFL bulbs really save money?

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by ray hampton View Post
    I had a similar problem with a ceiling fixture and the incandescent bulbs, I think that the fixture were being shaken by the furnace or fridge
    You can get "rough service" incandescent light bulbs for such fixtures. A friend of mine had to do that in the pre-CFL era because the first floor ceiling/second floor had a little too much bounce to it, so light bulbs in the first floor ceiling just wouldn't last due to the vibrations from the kids running around upstairs (he probably had 5-6 kids then, up to a football side now).
    Jason

    "Don't get stuck on stupid." --Lt. Gen. Russel Honore


  2. #32
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    Larry,

    I also was surprised how fast they added up. 5 ceiling fans with 5 ea, two chandeliers with 8 ea, and I am up to 41 before I even start with porch lites, lamps, can lights etc. I think the 80 is a conservative estimate, and that is just CFL's, not counting regular flourescent fixtures in the shop, garage, etc.

    Rick Potter

  3. #33
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    We have 2 3-globe ceiling fixtures that have had CFLs in them since CFLs readily available. We haven't replaced one yet but they weren't $2 each either, probably more like $6-8$ each. We also have 2 in outdoor fixtures. They come on no problem when cold but are noticeably dim until they've been on for a few minutes.

  4. #34
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    I've had no problems with the CFLs in my house and the minuscule efficiency rating of incandescents makes me glad to have moved away from those bulbs (90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)

  5. #35
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    Rick, when I saw how many I actually have it brought home the potential energy savings.

  6. #36
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    I have many types of florescent bulbs in my house. For the CFLs, I usually use high CRI bulbs from http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com
    Historically, these bulbs have worked poorly outside, but they have changed much over the years. For outdoor items, I use CFLs that I buy at SAMS club that have been dirt cheap, and they work at least in the Ohio Winters.

    With my outdoor fixtures, the bulbs are usually left running all night, and they last a very long time (years). There was a CFL when I bought the house 8 or 9 years ago, and I have changed the bulb twice. I replaced the bulb spring of 2012, so I am probably only getting about 4 or 5 years on the bulbs. Now that I am thinking about it, I might have a full spectrum solutions bulb in there now...

    In smaller closed light enclosures (like I have at the top of my stairs), the bulbs have trouble very quickly. I really should just replace that fixture and I think that the problem will go away.

    In my ceiling fans, the CFLs work much better than my standard bulbs, because they seem to handle the fan vibration much better.

    So, for non-enclosed fixtures, I have found my bulbs to last a very long time.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Drew View Post
    (90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)
    Correct... you're heating a filament with high current, it's just a nice side-effect that you heat it hot enough to give off some visible light.
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  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Drew View Post
    I've had no problems with the CFLs in my house and the minuscule efficiency rating of incandescents makes me glad to have moved away from those bulbs (90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)
    Yes, and that's why I like incandescents for some situations, like our little apartment. Right now it's 19 degrees outside and not a single watt of heat my bulbs are creating is "wasted". If I turned off every light in the house, the electric heating system would have to work exactly that much harder.

    In our new addition we have geothermal heat, so light bulb efficiency is more important. I started putting in CFL's and I hate everything about them-- the buzz, the delay, the lack of light, the lack of dimming, the cost and the environmental issues with disposal.

    The new LED's are what I'm excited about. These work great and the price is coming down fast. The fixtures we still need will definitely be LED and I may try to retrofit some of the CFL junk already put in to accept LED's.

    It's going to fun telling stories to my grandkids about the good old days back when people were actually allowed to make their own light bulb decisions....

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Griffin View Post
    Yes, and that's why I like incandescents for some situations, like our little apartment. Right now it's 19 degrees outside and not a single watt of heat my bulbs are creating is "wasted". If I turned off every light in the house, the electric heating system would have to work exactly that much harder.
    I have natural gas heat and it costs 1/2 to 1/3 as much as electric heat. Regular light bulbs add heat, but at a higher cost than running my furnace.

    It's going to fun telling stories to my grandkids about the good old days back when people were actually allowed to make their own light bulb decisions....
    You still get to make your own light bulb decisions. You can choose from CFL, Halogen replacements, and LED. Government has only mandated how much energy light bulbs can use. They have not mandated any particular technology. Somebody could bring to market an entirely new lighting technology tomorrow if they wanted to as long as it meets the energy standard.

  10. #40
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    Yeah. We should be able to buy PCB bulbs that run on baby eagles if we want!


  11. #41
    This is hardly a real fight for freedom, though. The government has always issued standards on pollutants, technology, etc. This is one where they didn't issue an edict stating that you have to buy your bulbs from comrade, inc.

    We are already fully aware that the reason incandescents last the amount they do is because of cronyism (they could last much longer without sacrificing many lumens, but basically a bulb cartel set them at 1000 hours).

    The feeling of freedom that people have about using a bulb that's already the product of crony collusion is just that...a false feeling.

    That said, if you want to get on ebay or amazon, I'm sure you'll be able to get a bulb ...a long life bulb without the crony 1000 hour target.... and be closer to free.

    I personally will wait for LEDs. I wish they would've waited on the mandate until they had a better technology (like LED) that was less toxic to 3 year-olds.

    We can get closer to the dream that Steve Vai spoofed in 1984 on the Flexable album - "Light Without Heat". That would be freeing to me. I don't mind paying for the light, I don't like to pay for the heat.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 12-11-2012 at 5:58 PM.

  12. #42
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    This was about if CFLs save money, not about how to get a thread locked in 5 posts. I like this topic, please don't ruin it.

  13. #43
    I thought we were doing pretty good so far, but to the original question, they absolutely have saved me money. When I was single, I would've said that the best way to save money is to turn them off and buy the cheapest bulb you could find. Getting married blew that theory right out the window, and now I realize that the lights will be on no matter what.

    I don't have cans or ceiling fans, though, and my only LED bulb so far is in the fridge.

  14. #44
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    My experience with CFL's (the curly lamp type) has been a failure. They never last the advertised time. However, yesterday I learned something about my experience with these bulbs. The type I purchased are not recommended for recessed can lighting. I use these at my store. Yesterday, while purchasing a new battery at a specialty battery store, I noticed that they also sold light bulbs. The sales rep told me that the bulbs I purchased will not last in those cans.

    He sold me a reflector cfl that would work better in a recessed ceiling can. The light i purchased does not put out the correct light, but at least I don't think I will be burning up the housing as I do with the previous cfl's. The previous cfl's housing burns up and is definitely a fire hazard, imo.....

    I need better illumination on my sales floors and I think now that I know about the reflector style I will bump up the wattage to get the proper foot candles...

    or i will likely switch over to LED's....

    joe
    Vortex! What Vortex?

  15. #45
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    If you switch to LEDs in a sales environment, make sure you get a good CRI and wavelength spread if sales of your products depends upon how it looks on the sales floor (like clothing, food, etc. If it's tools, it doesn't matter).
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