Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

[Boomyal]

Didn't Algore recently visit Australia? Well he must have had a profound effect on the Parliament, an effect that he could not accomplish here.

Buy your bulbs now, 'cause you are sure not going to like the flourescent replacements. They might be fine in some applications but they give off such weird light that they are liable to turn you into Frenchmen or something else just as bad.

They also have an extremely poor lifespan. No where near the amount advertised.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17233145/

 

[JB]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

I have flourescent replacement bulbs throughout my home. Most have been going for 8 years. The shortest lifespan I have had has been 3 years. . . one bulb. The forecast life is 8 years.

Because they use 10 watts and replace 40-60 watt incandescents I am sure I have saved a good deal more than their price on electricity, not to mention the dozens of incandescents I haven't had to buy and climb up on ladders to replace.

The light output spectrum is nearer to daylight than the incandescents, too.

No, Algore didn't invent them, either.

At least in Texas they are a very smart thing to use.

 

[tommays]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

I have a bunch and like them In my basement its 9 bulbs at 85 watts VS 9 at 15 watts

That is a big difference in my one littel house with no pain at all



Tommays

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

That's good news. After the initial surge, prices will start dropping.

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

I have flourescent replacement bulbs throughout my home. Most have been going for 8 years. The shortest lifespan I have had has been 3 years. . . one bulb. The forecast life is 8 years.

Because they use 10 watts and replace 40-60 watt incandescents I am sure I have saved a good deal more than their price on electricity, not to mention the dozens of incandescents I haven't had to buy and climb up on ladders to replace.

The light output spectrum is nearer to daylight than the incandescents, too.

No, Algore didn't invent them, either.

At least in Texas they are a very smart thing to use.

Yep JB, Had similar 'spearience here n' God's Country. JR

 

[Colorado04]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Al was at the University of Toronto a couple of days ago. The local news says that the provincial government maybe considering banning incandesents. Me, personally, I'm all for it so long as the prices on the flouresencts drop. They are running anywhere from 5 to 10 dollares each around here.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

That's almost as stupid as their ban on guns. Sure CFLs are great, use them where ever you want. There are also plenty of applications where they don't work. Encourage their use? Sure. Ban incadescents? Obscenely ridiculous.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

The new money saving flourescent (sp?) bulbs actually are nice. I have begun changing them out whenever it's incandecent counterpart burns out. I can't tell the light difference between the two, and to know I'm saving lots of money using them is great.

Also, guys don't forget, when does an IC bulb burn out? Whenever you turn it on, of course. A flourescent bulb won't do that, because you aren't hitting an element with 120 volts, you are only energizing a gas.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Also, guys don't forget, when does and IC bulb burn out? Whenever you turn it on, of course. A flourescent bulb won't do that, because you aren't hitting an element with 120 volts, you are only energizing a gas.

What does that have to do with anything? CFLs still burn out, and the cheap ones DO NOT live up to the life span printed on the package with normal use. It's not the fluorescent tube that's the problem, it's the cheap chinese ballast and starter. They do not last.

As far as saving money, yeah, you save a little, but not "lots" by any means.

Let's look at the average 60w bulb. Let's say 4 hours useage a day at 10 cents per KWH. That's 2.4 cents per day, or 72 cents per month. Now replace it with a comparable fluorescent, 20 watts. That's 1.25 cents per day, or 37.5 cents per month. So you saved 34.5 cents a month, or $4.14 per year. You also spent $5-10 on the bulb.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Yes, but did you conserve electricity?
I believe that is the point......

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

You are right Haut, money savings are good but not the main issue. Saving electricity is always good! My point was that turning on and off a lightbulb will shorten its life, but a flourencent wont do that. It doesn't care how often its turned on and off.

But since you want to mention money, lets talk money. I don't know how big your house is, but my house doesn't have just one lightbulb, it's probably got 50. You multiply 4 bucks savings times 50 you're into significant savings. Not to mention, like JB said, less climbing up and replacing them.

Its a much much better way to create light.

Please don't think I condone banning any kind of bulb. That's utterly stupid. Stick a nail in the socket if you want to make your own bulb, I could care less!

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

My point was that turning on and off a lightbulb will shorten its life, but a flourencent wont do that. It doesn't care how often its turned on and off.

Completely and totally false. Like I said, the tube doesn't care, but the cheap ballast underneath does. Turning on and off is what eventually kills almost every fluorescent bulb. If you just left it on 24/7 they would last 10 years or more. I have one in my garage that has been on since 2001, that's roughly 50,000 hours, even though the package only claims 5-10,000 hours life. On the other hand, I also have a box full of dead bulbs. They're all dead after maybe a few hundred hours because of the constant on and off - there are now incandescent bulbs in their place, because they last way longer. I got really tired of replacing the fluorescents. You're also forgetting incandescents cost 25 cents, while fluorescents cost $5-10.

But since you want to mention money, lets talk money. I don't know how big your house is, but my house doesn't have just one lightbulb, it's probably got 50. You multiply 4 bucks savings times 50 you're into significant savings.

So do you turn on all 50 every night for 4 hours? The example I made above was an extreme one - most of the bulbs in your house are not used every single day, nor are they used for 4+ hours.

The bottom line is it's only a few cents here or there. Splurge once at Taco Bell and you blew everything you saved for years.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Yes, but did you conserve electricity?
I believe that is the point......

Glad you asked Haut...cause I been thinking (by myself again whle Rush is not on the air) . I usually only have no more that 3-4 lights on in my house at night. If My boys are in their rooms count 4-5. I avoid the track lighting all together unless I'm cooking. When I drive I'm the last of the pack to achieve the speed limit. I mow the grass evfery three weeks instead of two. I do not have a sprinkler system for the lawn and I only water it near death. I guess you could say Im an extreme conservative. But I dont do it because I'm trying to practise what you and AG preach. I;m doing it because it saves money period.

Funny, the way folks (most it seems) race from red light to red light you would think these gas guzzlers were conservatives, defined by the green left. But polls show us differently dont they?....Hip Hip!

Ban the bulb is as stupid. But I will use the other if it helps me keep to my budgit. Sorry budgit is a conservative word you may not comprehend as a lib...

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

See?
These are the kind of personal attacks they were talking about! *SNIFF* :'(
The fact that you are cheap is beside the point....
If they save energy, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels & their by-products, by using said bulbs, why should it matter?.....
Surely you are not gonna tell me you're 'pro choice'......

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Yes, but did you conserve electricity?
I believe that is the point......

Glad you asked Haut...cause I been thinking (by myself again whle Rush is not on the air) . I usually only have no more that 3-4 lights on in my house at night. If My boys are in their rooms count 4-5. I avoid the track lighting all together unless I'm cooking. When I drive I'm the last of the pack to achieve the speed limit. I mow the grass evfery three weeks instead of two. I do not have a sprinkler system for the lawn and I only water it near death. I guess you could say Im an extreme conservative. But I dont do it because I'm trying to practise what you and AG preach. I;m doing it because it saves money period.

Funny, the way folks (most it seems) race from red light to red light you would think these gas guzzlers were conservatives, defined by the green left. But polls show us differently dont they?....Hip Hip!

Ban the bulb is as stupid. But I will use the other if it helps me keep to my budgit. Sorry budgit is a conservative word you may not comprehend as a lib...

Good post OJ. JR

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

See?
These are the kind of personal attacks they were talking about! *SNIFF* :'(
The fact that you are cheap is beside the point....
If they save energy, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels & their by-products, by using said bulbs, why should it matter?.....
Surely you are not gonna tell me you're 'pro choice'......

The point is, if you don't save money you don't save energy either. Energy = money. The amount of energy saved by CFLs is a drop in the ocean. The real energy problem lies in appliances. Use your oven once instead of the microwave for dinner, and you blew all the energy savings created by your overpriced CFLs. Use the air conditioner for one day instead of the fan for one day, and you did it again. Use that 10 year old fridge, dryer, washing machine, TV, computer, car, whatever, instead of buying a new one, the same thing happens.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

I'm sorry, I thought this discussion was about whether florescent bulbs consumed less energy than incandescent.....My bad!.....:$

 

[Coors]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

50 light bulbs? You live in an Al Gore size house?:%

 

[JB]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

Your math is skewed, ZmOz.

First of all, the flourescent replacement for a 60 watt IC is 10 watts, not 20, so they use half of the energy you state.

Second, you state that the FL life is shorter than an IC. Not in my house, it isn't. My original reason for switching was that ICs were lasting about 6 months. The FLs have lasted 8 years, and the last time I bought some they were $3.69.

Even with all your errors you claim I save "only" $4.14 per year, per bulb. Over 8 years that comes to $33.12 PER BULB. There are about about 20 in my house, so I have saved, according to you, $662.40, and NOT spent the $100 or so it would have cost me to keep replacing those @#$%^ IC bulbs.

The fact is, however, that I have probably saved over a GRAND, using 10 watt (not 20 watt) bulbs instead of 40-60 watt ICs and changing several a month.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Hey mates, Ya better stock up!

From an energy use perspective, in the heating season, it matters little what kind of bulbs you use or how much they're on. Only about 1-2% of the energy consumed is converted to light. The rest is converted to heat, which supplements any heating system

Now in the cooling season, it's a double whammy. That same heat which was beneficial in the heating season, adds additional burden to the cooling system.