Government pays $10 million for $50 light bulb

[Toro]

I hope that salesman got a huge commission!

 

[whitehall]

I have a big old house that seems to eat light bulbs. I don't mind, I just pick a couple of 100W or 60W at Walmart. I can't tell you how relieved I was that the republican congress squashed the government mandate to buy the has-mat mercury junk. Now I hear that Barry and the boys want me to spend $50 for a light bulb? Are these guys nuts? I picked up a mercury bulb somewhere and I put it in one of my outbuildings and rather than have instant light I flip the switch and have to stand there while this piece of junk comes to life. I have had a few bulbs break in my hand over my head and even in my old age the thought of heavy metal residue raining down on my face is not appealing.

 

[Bass v 2.0]

Troll thread

 

[daveman]

Troll thread

Point of order:

Pointing out stupid things stupid leftists do is not "trolling".

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Troll thread

Troll post.

 

[Political Junky]

Why would anyone pay $50 when they could buy a GE General Purpose/ceiling Fan White 2.5-watt LED bulb for $9. Why did the government waste $10 million to make an affordable bulb that would cost consumers 5.5 times more.

It's the government, why wouldn't they waste money?

Like the waste in Iraq under Bush, Jr.?
There's a lot of information on Custer Battles.
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-1302378.html
This story originally aired on Feb. 12, 2006.

The United States has spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars during its three years in Iraq, and more than $50 billion of it has gone to private contractors hired to guard bases, drive trucks, feed and shelter the troops and rebuild the country.

It is dangerous work, but much of the $50 billion, which is more than the annual budget of the Department of Homeland Security, has been handed out to companies in Iraq with little or no oversight.

Billions of dollars are unaccounted for, and there are widespread allegations of waste, fraud and war profiteering. As 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft first reported in February, only one case, the subject of a civil lawsuit, has been unsealed. It involves a company called Custer Battles, and provides a window into the chaos of those early days in Iraq.

War Profiteers? - 60 Minutes - CBS News

 

[Article 15]

The way i see it is i pay for what i like and want. Not what i am told to like and want.

So, you support people's right to choose...


...but only if they choose what you say they should.

Typical Daveman hack job assigning a position to a poster that they never took.

 

[Sarah G]

The government held a contest to build an affordable green light bulb. I know some people who make pretty good money, but I don't know anyone who thinks $50 for a light bulb is affordable.

The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award, dubbed the “L Prize,” for any manufacturer that could create a “green” but affordable light bulb.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry to offer the costly bulbs, known as LEDs, at prices “affordable for American families.” There was also a “Buy America” component. Portions of the bulb would have to be made in the United States.

Now the winning bulb is on the market.
The price is $50.
Retailers said the bulb, made by Philips, is likely to be too pricey to have broad appeal. Similar LED bulbs are less than half the cost.

Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag - The Washington Post

I would buy a few if the color is good and they really last for years. If it lasts for 5 years even, it would be worth it not to have to change bulbs. You change bulbs every couple of months anyway. A $5 light bulb lasts about 100 hrs. That's $150 over 5 yrs.

It's a good deal because these leds last a lot longer than 5 yrs.

 

[FA_Q2]

LED light bulbs are rated to last 25,000 - 50,000 hours compared to 1,000 - 2,000 for a typical incandescent. factoring in labor to change the bulb 25 times over the lifespan as well as the decrease in the amount of energy used. this is a no-brainer. if it takes a guy 2 minutes to get the ladder, climb up and change a bulb at $20 an hour (just as an easy round number, which btw is $40k annually), the labor comes out to roughly $0.66 each change. for 25 changes that $16.67 in labor. lets say that bulbs cost $3 each. thats another $75 in materials. so total, its now cost $91.67 to use an incandescent over an LED. (this all without calculating in the energy consumption factor)

I want you to imagine an automobile tire that lasts 50 years and costs 50 times as much as a normal tire.

What is wrong with this picture?

First, the average automobile is not going to be around for 50 years.

Second, the average person is not going to make a huge upfront expenditure. Sure, it would save them money over a fifteen year period, but no one operates that way. They don't have that kind of coin to drop in one chunk. But they do have a dollar here and there to spend when they need to.

Perhaps this $50 light bulb would be a big hit with the government for use in its buildings. Uncle Sam can throw a lot of money around and doesn't care if the bulb will outlast the building.

50,000 hours is 5.7 years (25,000 hours is 2.85 years) is your left the bulb on constantly. if you used them 12 hours a day thats 11.4 years (5.7 years). at 6 hours a day (more realistic) 22.8 years (11.4). think about if you never had to change a light bulb in your house for 20 years or even 10 and had your electricity bill drop by 20%. would it be worth it then?

If the above was true then the government would have zero need to subsidize or write into law the sales of these lights. People would buy them of their own accord. The reality is that all those figures are made in impossible tests that are never actually achieved in real life. When I bought my home it was filled with those bullshit light bulbs and I happily bought some more for the new fixtures I was installing because of the type of claims that you stated. In the end I was extremely disappointed because of several factors. Chiefly, the light they give of plainly sucks. The package claims it replaces a 100 watt light but it does not obtain near the same illumination. Period. I also changed every light in the damn house in the first year and the replacements are just as bad. The claims that they will last X times longer are plain bullshit.


Again, if they were so great, there would not need to be one single law or subsidy in place for them to sell - that would happen on its own. The very fact that such -policies need to be contrived shows just how much bullshit these 'green' lights really are.

 

[Sarah G]

50,000 hours is 5.7 years (25,000 hours is 2.85 years) is your left the bulb on constantly. if you used them 12 hours a day thats 11.4 years (5.7 years). at 6 hours a day (more realistic) 22.8 years (11.4). think about if you never had to change a light bulb in your house for 20 years or even 10 and had your electricity bill drop by 20%. would it be worth it then?

Who lives in the same house for 20 years, dipstick? Most people move every 4-5 years.

Even then, it is still a good deal but I know people who live in their homes a lot longer than that. If they only live there 5 years, they are not buying quality even in their home choices. Let them throw money away buying bulbs in that case.

 

[bripat9643]

Who lives in the same house for 20 years, dipstick? Most people move every 4-5 years.

Even then, it is still a good deal but I know people who live in their homes a lot longer than that. If they only live there 5 years, they are not buying quality even in their home choices. Let them throw money away buying bulbs in that case.

It's not a good deal if you only live in your home five years.

Learn some math.

 

[Sarah G]

Who lives in the same house for 20 years, dipstick? Most people move every 4-5 years.

Even then, it is still a good deal but I know people who live in their homes a lot longer than that. If they only live there 5 years, they are not buying quality even in their home choices. Let them throw money away buying bulbs in that case.

It's not a good deal if you only live in your home five years.

Learn some math.

Yes it is, read the calculations people here have given you. If you only live in your home for 5 years, that is not a good deal. You don't seem to understand the value of a dollar, how have you made it this far?

 

[Skull Pilot]

same thing they said about CFL's originally which turned out to be unnoticeable.

Then you don't know light. It is a huge difference in light. It is a blue harsh light and not appealing at all.

then your using the wrong color temperature.

all cfls

Color and Mood : ENERGY STAR

Buy an incandescent and use a dimmer and you don't have to buy 3 different bulbs.

 

[Article 15]

Even then, it is still a good deal but I know people who live in their homes a lot longer than that. If they only live there 5 years, they are not buying quality even in their home choices. Let them throw money away buying bulbs in that case.

It's not a good deal if you only live in your home five years.

Learn some math.

Yes it is, read the calculations people here have given you. If you only live in your home for 5 years, that is not a good deal. You don't seem to understand the value of a dollar, how have you made it this far?

I got a kick out of his comment considering that I know oodles of people who have been in their homes for 20+ years.

It's almost as if when people have a family they like to find a place to "settle down".

 

[edthecynic]

The government held a contest to build an affordable green light bulb. I know some people who make pretty good money, but I don't know anyone who thinks $50 for a light bulb is affordable.

The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award, dubbed the “L Prize,” for any manufacturer that could create a “green” but affordable light bulb.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry to offer the costly bulbs, known as LEDs, at prices “affordable for American families.” There was also a “Buy America” component. Portions of the bulb would have to be made in the United States.

Now the winning bulb is on the market.
The price is $50.
Retailers said the bulb, made by Philips, is likely to be too pricey to have broad appeal. Similar LED bulbs are less than half the cost.

Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag - The Washington Post

Mass production will bring the cost down like it has for everything else. When VCR's first came out they cost thousands of dollars, eventually the price came down to where everyone could afford them. The same for DVD players, LCD TVs, etc.

You can get similar 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs for under $30 today and India has announced that their bulb will be available worldwide later this year at $15.

From your link:

For example, at Home Depot, one can find LED bulbs to replace the 60-watt incandescent for much less than $50. Lighting Science Group, under the EcoSmart label, offers another for $23.97. It is assembled in Mexico. And another Philips LED bulb on sale costs $24.97. It was made in China.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20098666-54/60-watt-led-bulb-to-break-$15-mark-lighting-science-says/

This is the omnidirectional LED bulb that Lighting Science says will be priced below $15.
(Credit: PRNewsFoto/Lighting Science Group)
Lighting Science Group and Dixon Technologies India today touted an LED light bulb equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent that they say will hit store shelves with a price below $15.
The omnidirectional LED bulb, in the traditional A19 shape of household incandescent light bulbs, will become available in India by the end of the year and worldwide, including in the U.S., early in 2012, the companies said. It's the first in an expected series of products, including streetlights and industrial fixtures, that Lighting Science and Dixon plan to jointly manufacture and distribute.

 

[Sarah G]

It's not a good deal if you only live in your home five years.

Learn some math.

Yes it is, read the calculations people here have given you. If you only live in your home for 5 years, that is not a good deal. You don't seem to understand the value of a dollar, how have you made it this far?

I got a kick out of his comment considering that I know oodles of people who have been in their homes for 20+ years.

It's almost as if when people have a family they like to find a place to "settle down".

You have to think ahead, you buy real quality in a great location and you then become a part of a little community. I would never move every 5 years. It's that throw away mentality like buying cheap little cars that only last 70000 miles.

I'm not a fad of the month buyer in anything though.

 

[daveman]

So, you support people's right to choose...


...but only if they choose what you say they should.

Typical Daveman hack job assigning a position to a poster that they never took.

He's rolling his eyes at the concept of people making their own choices.

 

[syrenn]

The government held a contest to build an affordable green light bulb. I know some people who make pretty good money, but I don't know anyone who thinks $50 for a light bulb is affordable.

The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award, dubbed the “L Prize,” for any manufacturer that could create a “green” but affordable light bulb.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry to offer the costly bulbs, known as LEDs, at prices “affordable for American families.” There was also a “Buy America” component. Portions of the bulb would have to be made in the United States.

Now the winning bulb is on the market.
The price is $50.
Retailers said the bulb, made by Philips, is likely to be too pricey to have broad appeal. Similar LED bulbs are less than half the cost.

Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag - The Washington Post

Mass production will bring the cost down like it has for everything else. When VCR's first came out they cost thousands of dollars, eventually the price came down to where everyone could afford them. The same for DVD players, LCD TVs, etc.

You can get similar 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs for under $30 today and India has announced that their bulb will be available worldwide later this year at $15.

From your link:

For example, at Home Depot, one can find LED bulbs to replace the 60-watt incandescent for much less than $50. Lighting Science Group, under the EcoSmart label, offers another for $23.97. It is assembled in Mexico. And another Philips LED bulb on sale costs $24.97. It was made in China.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20098666-54/60-watt-led-bulb-to-break-$15-mark-lighting-science-says/

This is the omnidirectional LED bulb that Lighting Science says will be priced below $15.
(Credit: PRNewsFoto/Lighting Science Group)
Lighting Science Group and Dixon Technologies India today touted an LED light bulb equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent that they say will hit store shelves with a price below $15.
The omnidirectional LED bulb, in the traditional A19 shape of household incandescent light bulbs, will become available in India by the end of the year and worldwide, including in the U.S., early in 2012, the companies said. It's the first in an expected series of products, including streetlights and industrial fixtures, that Lighting Science and Dixon plan to jointly manufacture and distribute.

And that will just look so special in my chandeliers.

 

[Article 15]

So, you support people's right to choose...


...but only if they choose what you say they should.

Typical Daveman hack job assigning a position to a poster that they never took.

He's rolling his eyes at the concept of people making their own choices.

There's nothing in that eyeroll that says she should have her right to chose taken away. That's you making shit up. But it's what you do best.

 

[bripat9643]

Yes it is, read the calculations people here have given you. If you only live in your home for 5 years, that is not a good deal. You don't seem to understand the value of a dollar, how have you made it this far?

I got a kick out of his comment considering that I know oodles of people who have been in their homes for 20+ years.

It's almost as if when people have a family they like to find a place to "settle down".

You have to think ahead, you buy real quality in a great location and you then become a part of a little community. I would never move every 5 years. It's that throw away mentality like buying cheap little cars that only last 70000 miles.

I'm not a fad of the month buyer in anything though.

Unfortunately for your cute little theory, people change jobs, and that means they often have to move.

It really doesn't matter what you think people should do. All that matters is what they actually do.

As usual, liberal theory has no connection with reality.