Moderator
Bingo!! More and more of these are available every year, too! I think it is great! They don't waste energy in the form of heat (compared to other lights)...so they won't cause fires in real/fake trees. Also, they will last a very, very, very, very long time. Light emitting diodes...the way to go for decorative lighting.Originally Posted by Bryan Berguson
Member
paper vs plastic debate is a good one also....more "oil " spent harvesting a renewable resource than creating the plastic from the oil.
What if the light at the end of the tunnel is a train?
Moderator
Folks, let's stay focused on the subject, please...Energy Saver Bulbs.
Jim
SMC Moderator
[OP]
Member
Not to be a pain here but let's try and stay on point. The original question was regarding CFL light bulbs. The thread has shifted a bit to alternative CFL uses...LED's which I think is very good.....The bad part is getting into a wasteful debate on 'paper vs plastic' etc.
Chris, I wonder if Bill Gates house has the dimmer / light sensitive timer / switch that you are looking for. Good Luck and if you figure that one out it is probably a billion dollar idea because I think a lot of us would like something like that outside.
Member
Chris,One thing that popped into my mind regarding dimmer/motion sensor type setup would be this,having a 2 bulb fixture, where both are controlled by a photo cell but one has a motion sensor in series . The one coming on with only photocell could be a 7 watter then when the 2nd senses motion it would come on with a higher wattage/lumen output.....
I'm gonna copyright that...so nevermind
Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
Member
Anyone seen a good price on the flood lights version? I could use some outside, but the ones I saw were almost 8.00 each!And they didn't say if they were usuable outside or not. Jim.
Sometimes HD has the outside version - it should say on the label if they are indoor or outdoor, but the easiest way to tell is they have the "bumps" on the outer glass (that covers the flourescent twist bulb) vs. the smooth glass. I was at HD Sunday, however, and they didn't have any in stock. It's kind of hit or miss on that at HD.
Lowe's, at least mine, has a better variety - many kinds of indoor / outdoor, plus 3-way flourescents for your indoor reading-type lamps.
I put some in our kitchen floods, and learned the $8 each hard-way you need to check the light output. While a buld, for example, may say it has the 60-watt equivalent, check the lumens output as well if it is rated a "soft," "medium", etc. bulb. My first attempt was getting the soft white and I heard nothing but complaints as the LOML couldn't "see." I told her it looked great, but quietly switched it out for a greater light output flourescent.
Member
The original question was "The package says that the bulbs draw 13 watts and that they are a 60 watt equivalent. Can I put this type of bulb into a 40 watt lamp...It is only supposed to be drawing 13 watts which is less than 40 watts so it should be ok..."
The question was answered and many persons here presented the various uses for CF's as reinforcement for their answer.
LED's represent a superior alternative in specific applications. They aren't a silver bullet, but they are capable of delivering quality light in some situations. Traffic signals and motor vehicle indicator lamps are just two examples of their utility.
Last edited by Greg Peterson; 11-28-2007 at 1:14 AM.
Contributor
We bought 6500K compact fluorescents for a 3 light fixture, 39 watts vs. 180 watts is a good thing and the 6500k bulbs, while putting out more of a bluish light than we're used to (we're used to incandescent bulbs) seem to illuminate well. There are a few dimmable CF's to be found but they're expensive. I suspect like the CF biz overall, give it a few months and dimmables may become more common and less expensive. I'm curious about the CF boom from the manufacturer's viewpoint. 2000 hour life vs. 10,000 hour life for CF's. They're going to eventually be selling 1/5 the number of bulbs annually compared to what they sell now.
Contributor
I need to keep a light on at night outside our townhouse (Assoc Rules - pretty good for a guy who does not want to be told what kinda light to use - I am told how to do most everything else! )
Well think and compare these -
1. Std light say 15 to 40 watt - with a light sensor.
A. Light sensor uses a little power all day.
B. Bulbs seldom seem to last more than 3 - 6 months.
2. CF 10 watt light left on 24 hours a day.
A. The ones I have in use have been on close to a year - never a blink.
I have neighbors who think I am wasting electrical power.
What do you think????
Which uses more power over a year?
Which is less $$ over a year - factor in cost of replacement bulbs.
Member
How do CFL's handle generator power - i.e. something significantly less than a perfect sine wave?
Doyle
Moderator
A 40 W bulb uses 4 times the energy of the 10 W CFL HOWEVER, the CFL is on 24 hours per day and they 40 W bulb is on, say, 12 hours a day, or half as much. That still comes out in the CFL's favor by 2.
Create yourself a little "figure of merit" if you like:
40 W * 12 hours = 480 W*hours
10 W * 24 hours = 240 W*hours
If you wish to include cost, just put it in:
40 W * 12 hours * $ 4 = 1920 W*hours*$ (assume bulb is $1 at 4 per year)
10 W * 24 hours * $ 1 = 240 W* hours*$ (assume bulb is $1 at 1 per year)
That photo-sensor's energy useage is probably negligible compared to the bulb's energy useage.
They have CFLs that operate on motion sensors but I do not know if they have CFLs that operate on photo-sensors. The motion sensor is expensive...the one in my laundry room was $70...but I would hope it would last for years and years.
If you go to a much smaller incandescent, the numbers are a lot closer. CFLs, at least in California, are quite cheap due to the rebate the energy company provides so my cost for CFL might be WAY OFF for you.
I hope this give you an idea how you can compare them to decide what works best for you or at least gives you an argument to assuage the neighbors that you are trying to be miserly....
Moderator
What does "significantly less than a perfect sine wave" mean? Are we talking 50 Hz instead of 60 Hz?
Are we talking 100 Vrms amplitude instead of 120 Vrms amplitude?
Are we talking a severly distorted shape of the wave or especially noisy? (that kind of falls in with the above Vrms question since rms is an average of the voltage over a single cycle of the wave)
Seems that the generator isn't very good if it cannot put out an appropriate signal.
Last edited by Chris Padilla; 11-28-2007 at 2:46 PM.
The one down side to the CF's is that they all contain mercury. What happens to that when the bulb goes to the landfill??
Lee Schierer
USNA '71
Go Navy!
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I think because these CFLs last a long time, there won't be so many going to the landfill. Where do all the incandscents that don't last as long go?
However, the mercury content is there, it is small, but it is there. Recycling programs here in the Bay Area allow you to drop off things like this so that they are disposed of properly. Now I don't know exactly what that means to be honest.
Member
Hopefully they will be recycled properly in 2 years when they start getting replaced at a heavy rate.
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