With the pending demise of 100w incandescent bulbs, entrepeneurs will offer a LED alternative - at $50 a pop:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110516/ap_on_hi_te/us_led_lighting;_ylt=AsE3Gkdtse.WMyLRBM_sWOCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNqNzVocWJlBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTE2L3VzX2xlZF9saWdodGluZwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzgEcG9zAzUEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNs
This doesn't exactly make me feel all that warm and fuzzy inside.
The government dictating what light bulb you can use should not make you feel good in any way.
tuna55 wrote: The government dictating what light bulb you can use should not make you feel good in any way.
very scary....
Bye bye Easy Bake Oven.
GrantMLS wrote:tuna55 wrote: The government dictating what light bulb you can use should not make you feel good in any way.very scary....
And don't forget the rules dictating proper CFL disposal.
oldsaw wrote: With the pending demise of 100w incandescent bulbs, entrepeneurs will offer a LED alternative - at $50 a pop: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110516/ap_on_hi_te/us_led_lighting;_ylt=AsE3Gkdtse.WMyLRBM_sWOCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNqNzVocWJlBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTE2L3VzX2xlZF9saWdodGluZwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzgEcG9zAzUEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNs This doesn't exactly make me feel all that warm and fuzzy inside.
That price will drop.
Joey
how long till 30 cents a buld? or even a dollar?
SC Bulbs South Carolina will not knuckle to light bulb pressure! You can have my incandescent light bulb when you pry it from my cold dead hands!!!
I'm all for saving energy, but I'm not happy with any of the alternatives yet. Sure hope they come up with something better than the crappy CFLs we have now. All the same, I totally get it. If you replace every bulb in the country, it's a lot of energy saved.
If I could get a bulb in a decent color temperature that dimmed properly I'd be happy. But I'm really thinking about buying a truck load of light bulbs.
Energy saving CFLs seem to be getting better but I'm not really happy with them either (even though I'm sitting under a bunch of them as I type this). I do have high hopes for the LED ones, but that'll be a while until they're affordable and I bet that by then, the manufacturers have found a way to shorten their life span...
I dunno.....cfl's seem to have a shorter life in my house over traditional bulbs. old crappy wiring likely to blame.
fast_eddie_72 wrote: I'm all for saving energy, but I'm not happy with any of the alternatives yet. Sure hope they come up with something better than the crappy CFLs we have now. All the same, I totally get it. If you replace every bulb in the country, it's a lot of energy saved. If I could get a bulb in a decent color temperature that dimmed properly I'd be happy. But I'm really thinking about buying a truck load of light bulbs.
Well summarized.
I just read something (on about.com [EDIT: forum software was making it a link, so updated to go to actual article], so take it with a shaker of salt) that suggests that CFs do very badly with short on/off cycles, which reduce their lifespan greatly. LEDs shouldn't have that problem.
Not sure how LEDs will do with dimming. Almost think it'd have to be pulse-width modulation. At a high enough frequency to avoid flicker?
I'm okay with regulations that avoid a no-brainer waste of energy, but in this case the idea seems to be ahead of the maturation of an obvious replacement.
^Really? I've got an old "AC Delco" spark plug lamp from.......well, I don't know when. I just know my mom said she had originally purchased it from an antique store 27-28 years ago.
Because I like there to be a "little" bit of light in the house at night, I put a CFL bulb in that lamp. At a minimum it runs 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. If it doesn't get turned off, we go out of town, etc, it stays on 24/7.
The CFL that is currently in the lamp?
I put in the lamp in ~July '05.
It's really amusing that of everything going on in the world, this is something that even gets a reaction from people. And the type of reaction seems a bit over the top.
cue Slippery Slope Fallacy about gov't required choices and how we will all eventually be forced to poop in holes in the ground and eat dog food
Oh and how come this isn't being challenged in court?
Seems as though the commerce clause would apply here as it does to Healthcare?
/flounder
In reply to ransom:
I've read the same info about on/off cycling reducing CFL lifespans.
I have to confess that I'm experimenting (and wasting energy) by keeping a CFL bulb on 24/7; it's in my living room and it's been there for at least six months. I was given a dozen CFL's but only install them when the incandescents burn-out - and only in certain places.
I prefer the ambience of low-level illumination except for reading or projects.
That $50 is for the new 100w diode-bulb that was just released... like the $12k TV. There are plenty of diodes that produce usable light from $.05 each to .99 if you want to make your own lamps or... for $9 you can buy them pre-build to mount on your forehead. Lets not panic.
In reply to z31maniac:
I'm afraid it's not 100% clear to me who you're replying to (or just the whole thread?), and forgive me, but I'm also reading bits that sound like you come down strongly on both sides of this issue? ('my CF has been chugging along for six years' vs 'why isn't this being challenged in court?')
Again, I hate to reference about.com [EDIT: grumble grumble forum software auto-link grumble], but that on-24/7 thing sounds like exactly why the bulb in your Delco lamp has lasted so long. But if it's a bulb you'd normally shut off 20 hours of the day, you come out way behind on energy usage if you leave it on just to get the extra bulb life.
I buy CFs with the exception of one dumb installation in my house (no light switch at the top of the stairs, requiring dumb remote-control dimmer to be able to operate), but they burn out so frequently that I'm wondering whether it's helping.
I'll clarify my stance as being able to stand on the top of that slope without finding it slippery and without fear of processing dog food into ground-holes, but I'll feel better about light bulb regulations when the real-world tech is not so much a wash. I haven't done actual numbers; maybe the CFs are already a net gain, in which case I've got no complaints...
z31maniac wrote: It's really amusing that of everything going on in the world, this is something that even gets a reaction from people. And the type of reaction seems a bit over the top.
I hate CFL because of the light they produce... does that make me a bad guy if I am willing to PAY for the nice, warming glow of an incandescent.
Oh, that's right, well off, 1st world white guy here, how should I be punished today for having the freedom and prosperity my country enjoys?
It was meant for the reply above yours, didn't get it out in time!
My second post was pure sarcasm/pot stirring.
I don't leave it on to get the extra bulb life, it's on during dusk/dawn/night and usually off for the day, sometimes I just forget though.
As far as the on/off thing, we put CFLs into everything when we moved into our house back in Sept '09. The only one that has burned out is the light over the back patio.
It was a bug light, or yellow CFL. It lasted up until a few weeks ago, but it stays on 24/7, rain/shine and is outside. So I'm sure that is responsible for it's shorter use.
But even the CFLs in our bathroom, very much a quick cycle for the most part, and not one of the 4 that make up the fixture have died.
This is just one of those issues I don't understand why people are getting so worked up over. Because the "light" looks slightly different? Does it really bother people THAT much or is just an excuse to complain about something?
I do know in March when we weren't doing much heating/cooling, our electricity bill for the month was $21. And that includes powering a BIG HTPC rig and 65" TV in the living room.
In reply to ransom:
I never said it was a slippery slope, or anything like that. I just don't want to government regulating what kind of light bulbs I can buy.
HiTempguy wrote: I hate CFL because of the light they produce... does that make me a bad guy if I am willing to PAY for the nice, warming glow of an incandescent.
You also have options in the "Nice warm glow" category. Bonus... it uses absolutely no electricity.
my mom's been hording a pretty good sized collection of good ol incandescant bulbs because she so hates the cfl type. if i had the space i'd be doing the same.
tuna55 wrote: In reply to ransom: I never said it was a slippery slope, or anything like that. I just don't want to government regulating what kind of light bulbs I can buy.
I was responding to z31maniac's closing italics predicting that sort of response. I never got the impression that you suggested any slippery slopes.
I'm not sure the replacements for incandescents are ready for prime time, but given the vast energy savings available, I think I'd be fine with regulation of CFs once they last longer than incandescents in real-world use.
HiTempguy wrote: I hate CFL because of the light they produce... does that make me a bad guy
No it doesn't. And I agree.
HiTempguy wrote: if I am willing to PAY for the nice, warming glow of an incandescent. Oh, that's right, well off, 1st world white guy here, how should I be punished today for having the freedom and prosperity my country enjoys?
Well, I don't think anyone is looking to punish anyone. And I really don't think it has anything to do with you being white. The law, for better or worse, applies to everyone.
I'm not crazy about it and I'd maybe like to see them delay it until there are better alternatives available. Dunno. Maybe they need to implement it for better alternatives to be developed. But I think it was done for all the right reasons. It's like anything else. I think it's stupid that I can't buy a new car witout air bags. I think it's stupid that I have to drive through four school zones on the way to work but they aren't the same speed or times. But I don't take it personally or feel like I'm being punished.
Eh. I like to use natural light as much as possible. I have one light on in the whole house right now (I'll give you a hint: What room in the house often has no windows? That is the room I am in right now!!)
Other than that, I've found that some of the fluorescents that are colored yellow are actually okay.
On a related note, did you know that you can buy 4 light bulbs from Dollar Tree for a dollar?!?! Nevermind the fact that they have about a 100 hour life span, its 4 for a dollar!
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