Change a Light, Change the World

[rh77]

How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take to Protect the Environment and Save $30?

I've replaced several bulbs in the house and it's a lot cooler. For example, instead of sitting under 5, 60-Watt bulbs to eat dinner (300-Watts of Heat that always baked yours truly and not the meatloaf) -- there are now 6 Energy Star fluorescent Type-A, screw-in bulbs. They install just like any bulb.



RH77's Dining Room Light

The trick is to update them over time as they are more expensive than traditional bulbs, BUT they last longer and use less energy.

RH77

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by rh77

How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take to Protect the Environment and Save $30?

I've replaced several bulbs in the house and it's a lot cooler. For example, instead of sitting under 5, 60-Watt bulbs to eat dinner (300-Watts of Heat that always baked yours truly and not the meatloaf) -- there are now 6 Energy Star fluorescent Type-A, screw-in bulbs. They install just like any bulb.



RH77's Dining Room Light

The trick is to update them over time as they are more expensive than traditional bulbs, BUT they last longer and use less energy.

RH77

Yes I did this about 6 months ago when they had a big sale on at Lowes. Let me tell ya I was amazed at who may lights there are in my house. I had a trash bag full of old lights that I gave away.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by zpiloto

Yes I did this about 6 months ago when they had a big sale on at Lowes. Let me tell ya I was amazed at who may lights there are in my house. I had a trash bag full of old lights that I gave away.

I have a similar problem -- a pile of them under the sink (I haven't replaced them all YET). So the question is, do you give them away? That way they're going to suck energy somewhere else. Can they be recycled? Secondly, glass takes a lot of energy to produce. That's where I'm stuck.

RH77

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by rh77

I have a similar problem -- a pile of them under the sink (I haven't replaced them all YET). So the question is, do you give them away? That way they're going to suck energy somewhere else. Can they be recycled? Secondly, glass takes a lot of energy to produce. That's where I'm stuck.

RH77

I gave them away to someone less fortunate then I. They will never buy the CFL so might as well let them use them till there used up. It will keep them from buying new one for a while.

[rh77]

I was thinking that someone who can't afford E-star could use them. So Z, did you give them to someone you know, or the Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. The power company should collect them and give them away to the less fortunate, but they don't (yet).

RH77

[Matt Timion]

A bought a load of these over 2 years ago when they were on sale at Costco. I think they were like $2 for an 8 pack (I kid you not).

I moved them with me when i moved from California to Salt Lake City. Every light in our house is one of these bulbs, except for the bathroom, the dining room, and one of the rooms in the basment.

These bulbs just last a really long time, and I'm positive my energy bill is lower as a result.

A friend of mine just switched all of hte lights in his rental units to these bulbs and his electric bill dropped to 1/3 of what it was before. The bulbs paid for themselves in one month.

[MetroMPG]

We've also changed many of ours.

But... is it going to be the LP/cassette/CD/MP3 thing all over again?

Just when we finish switching to CF bulbs, will high lumen LED's be available which put even these to shame, energy wise?

[rh77]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

We've also changed many of ours.

But... is it going to be the LP/cassette/CD/MP3 thing all over again?

Just when we finish switching to CF bulbs, will high lumen LED's be available which put even these to shame, energy wise?

I think the change in energy consumption with respect to our fragile electrical grid and non-renewable resources need attention quickly. There will always be an improvement over the course. I'm not all that disappointed that I can't play Kenny Rogers on the 8-track anymore

RH77
Got to know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em...

[crazymechanic]

I picked up some of those. the package claimed they were good replacements for 60 watt bulbs, and they only were 13 watt bulbs. after installing, they're not quite as bright as a regular 60 watt, but even if you use two bulbs together to get more light than your 60 watt, you're still only using 26 watts. the savings add up when that electric bill shows up

[rh77]

Originally Posted by crazymechanic

I picked up some of those. the package claimed they were good replacements for 60 watt bulbs, and they only were 13 watt bulbs. after installing, they're not quite as bright as a regular 60 watt, but even if you use two bulbs together to get more light than your 60 watt, you're still only using 26 watts. the savings add up when that electric bill shows up

I picked up some more at Costco this weekend -- a little at a time makes a big difference.

RH77

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Just when we finish switching to CF bulbs, will high lumen LED's be available which put even these to shame, energy wise?

I think it will be quite some time before LEDs are cost effective as main room lighting. They just don't (cheaply) "scale up" to the light output that many people expect for a room (unlike CF lights, that can easily be made bigger and brighter, at the cost of a few more watts of power for the light).

However, 110v LEDs are already good choices for very low light "spot lighting" around the home. For example, I am somewhat fond of this light (the slightly bluish "white" version is around $6/each, colored versions are even cheaper) from http://www.SuperBrightLeds.com. It's only 15 lumens (about as much light as some "night lights"), but it's also only 0.7 watts! I have started putting them in places around the house where I want just a little light, but for long periods of time. And the really nice thing about this specific LED light, is that this "bulb" has no problems with cold. Which is why I also use them to replace all my fridge/freezer lights, thereby letting me have some light in the fridge/freezer without the normal (appliance bulb) effect of the fridge/freezer heating up a lot from the light (and thereby having to then work harder, using yet more electricity, to cool things back down when you close the fridge/freezer door).


Oh yeah, I also have one of these (about $20) Luxeon "spot lights". I actually leave the thing on all the time (to light a key section of floor, that you really want lit). It's not a lot of light (only around 30 lumens), nor does it cover a lot of ground area. But for only 1 watt of power, it does a good job...


And I even have one of these LED units as the "door light" (next to the outside ice/water dispenser) on a fridge:

[schmeep]

when we bought our house 3 years ago, i replaced most of the bulbs with the energy efficient ones that are supposed to have a long life-span,

but i had to replace most of them after about a year and a half and that isn't even with regular use, even the laundry room that is only on for short stints burnt out on me.
and they aren't all the same brand either.

considering the expense of these bulbs, it's a tough pill to swallow when they don't last two years.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by schmeep

when we bought our house 3 years ago, i replaced most of the bulbs with the energy efficient ones that are supposed to have a long life-span,

but i had to replace most of them after about a year and a half and that isn't even with regular use, even the laundry room that is only on for short stints burnt out on me.
and they aren't all the same brand either.

considering the expense of these bulbs, it's a tough pill to swallow when they don't last two years.

Sometimes the ballast built into the bulb to reduce the power goes bad, but this is a very rare instance. I've had those bulbs last for years. Sorry to hear it wasn't a good experience.

RH77

[MetroMPG]

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

I've only had one CF go bad (less than a year since going CF though), and it happened during a power brown-out.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

I've only had one CF go bad (less than a year since going CF though), and it happened during a power brown-out.

I've had incandescents last a few years, in full-on 24/7 (barring power outages). It was a security feature, but now I realize it's wasteful.

RH77

[tomauto]

I bought some GE Hexical bulbs that run on 10 watts....and One of them died a month after i installed it....The other two are working and I use them all the time in my lamps.

[Ted Hart]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

Write on! 'Tis the shock of "full on" which makes the element snap! ...like a fuse! The voltage spike is tremendous!

[Ted Hart]

Originally Posted by zpiloto

Let me tell ya I was amazed at who may lights there are in my house. I had a trash bag full of old lights that I gave away.

A trash bag full? Don't bump it!!

[Brock]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

We do this in theatre a lot, it is called soft start. Also if a designer wants a fixture to come on really quickly one of the tricks is to have the light idle at like 5% and then bump it to full.

I even have an electronically controlled incandescent flashlight (surefire A2) that has a 100 ms soft start on the lamp. Without the soft start the lamp blew way too often. But now we use LED's

[James]

I put 10 in my parent's house in 2002 and another 10-15 in 2004. I think only one or 2 have burned out...one burned out right away, and then it seems like the rest will last forever. My parents leave the lights on in the house for long periods of time, which is good for their long life. In this situation, these bulbs have saved gobs of energy. I have previous experiences of them burning out quickly in the bathroom, because the light turns on and off all of the time. I think that a small incandecent, maybe one or two from the trash bag full, are best for the bathroom (they are cheap, and they are only on for a little while, and therefore not using too much energy).

[landspeed]

I've used flourescent bulbs for ages - they very rarely burn out in my experience. I bought some really cheap ones (Asda 'SmartPrice') and 1 of them didn't work but I took it back. They save so much power on your electricity bill (and less CO2 for the planet)

[roadrunner]

All the bulbs in my place are the 11W and 13W self-ballasted lamp type. The most recent ones were free after rebate, and have a life of 8000 hours.
My average monthly electric bill is 110 KWH USED.

[DaX]

Holy Cow! Neat, but $110 each? Yikes! I saw them test this light on MythBusters and it outlasted everything.



http://www.theledlight.com/120-VAC-LEDbulbs.html (scroll all the way to the bottom)

[Brock]

It shouldn't be to long before we start seeing the newer cree dies out on the market, in the 5w range with a nice 60 lumens per watt range. I am not sure exactly what the trade off is since they put out so much more light per watt, but the 5w compare to a 11w CF on one die. They also are much more conducive to being a true flood like a normal light, at least emitting in a 180 pattern from the die.