Energy saving lightbulbs --- any thoughts?

[KarlMarx]

Has anyone purchased those energy saving lightbulbs? You've seen them, they look like little pigtails. I replaced all of my incandescents with them and they seem to work just fine...

 

[Mr. P]

Has anyone purchased those energy saving lightbulbs? You've seen them, they look like little pigtails. I replaced all of my incandescents with them and they seem to work just fine...

No, to spensive. How's the electric bill?

 

[glockmail]

Has anyone purchased those energy saving lightbulbs? You've seen them, they look like little pigtails. I replaced all of my incandescents with them and they seem to work just fine...

Been using them over ten years, wherever I can. Nuts not to. I even have the floodlights on the outside of my house. They take a little while to warm up in cold weather, but they give a nice even light.

 

[Stephanie]

I've been using them for awhile also....

I'm not sure on the electric bill, but they last a lot longer than standard bulbs....So there's money saved right there....

I like them fine...

 

[glockmail]

....

I'm not sure on the electric bill, ...

Anything to deny the Arabs a few cents is worth it in my book.

 

[KarlMarx]

No, to spensive. How's the electric bill?

I don't know yet, I just changed over. They weren't too bad, price wise. Home Depot had a sale on them (6 for $10)

 

[Annie]

I don't know yet, I just changed over. They weren't too bad, price wise. Home Depot had a sale on them (6 for $10)

Is the light bright enough to read comfortably? I thought I saw something that said there were problems with that.

 

[Adam's Apple]

We've been using them for quite a while and haven't experienced any problems with reading. We use them for both inside and outside lighting. I've found that building discounters generally have the better price for these bulbs.

 

[90K]

Anything to deny the Arabs a few cents is worth it in my book.

you forgot these hacks over here with the electric companies and the extra taxes too
If you aren't too picky they work pretty well. My wife is kind of funny about them so I use them in obscure ares of my home when I can. I like the fact they last so long, and my only complain it the way they look, I beleive my would be more open to the usage if the overall bulbs looked more like regular bulbs.

 

[Mr. P]

I don't know yet, I just changed over. They weren't too bad, price wise. Home Depot had a sale on them (6 for $10)

That's not bad at all. I thought they ran $5ea.

 

[glockmail]

you forgot these hacks over here with the electric companies and the extra taxes too
If you aren't too picky they work pretty well. My wife is kind of funny about them so I use them in obscure ares of my home when I can. I like the fact they last so long, and my only complain it the way they look, I beleive my would be more open to the usage if the overall bulbs looked more like regular bulbs.

They are starting to make them inside little glass globes to look like regular bulbs. I saw some at Lowes a while back that were the candelabra shape, and with a mini base. The light color has improved as well, and I use them in my den to light that room and to read by. And I've always hated the "office white" effect.

I'm waiting for LEDs to hit the market for home lighting. That will be the cat's meow.

 

[glockmail]

That's not bad at all. I thought they ran $5ea.

Whenever you buy them in those 6 or 10 blister packs they are cheap. But buy extras because one or two will crap out on you after a month or so. They are made in China and the QC sucks.

 

[90K]

I'm waiting for LEDs to hit the market for home lighting. That will be the cat's meow.

Yeah well you'll be collecting retirement because they haven't totally mastered LED lights for cars yet and the cost will be high I'm sure for a while. Although traffic lights are becoming more popular so it may not be too long

 

[glockmail]

Yeah well you'll be collecting retirement because they haven't totally mastered LED lights for cars yet and the cost will be high I'm sure for a while. Although traffic lights are becoming more popular so it may not be too long

I dunno, all the traffic lights here are LEDs now, at least all the red ones. But most of the greens as well. I dont think they replace any with incandescents anymore. And our roads are all DOT controlled, so this must be a State-wide policy.
With all this public funding I think the domestic market will be cracked soon, meaning a 75 watt incandescent can be replaced with a 12 watt flourescent or a 2 watt LED. (I'm not positive about those numbers, but I'm close.) The Arabs must be screaming! And the lower the wattage, the longer these things last.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/fit.htm

 

[90K]

I dunno, all the traffic lights here are LEDs now, at least all the red ones. But most of the greens as well. I dont think they replace any with incandescents anymore. And our roads are all DOT controlled, so this must be a State-wide policy.
With all this public funding I think the domestic market will be cracked soon, meaning a 75 watt incandescent can be replaced with a 12 watt flourescent or a 2 watt LED. (I'm not positive about those numbers, but I'm close.) The Arabs must be screaming! And the lower the wattage, the longer these things last.

That is because you are near the triangle; up the coast a piece we are seeing the LED lights on traffic signals more. Yeah I can't wait for the LEDs as well just think about flood lights, I'll be able to wake the dead it will be so bright! Arabs hell I'm still pinging about electric company de-regulation and the added taxes and crappy service like Verizon and the other de-regulated phone companies!

 

[glockmail]

That is because you are near the triangle; up the coast a piece we are seeing the LED lights on traffic signals more. Yeah I can't wait for the LEDs as well just think about flood lights, I'll be able to wake the dead it will be so bright! Arabs hell I'm still pinging about electric company de-regulation and the added taxes and crappy service like Verizon and the other de-regulated phone companies!

I like my Verizon service. I'd rather use my cell phone than my land line.

Dereg is good in the long run, I think. Enteprenuers will exploit new sources of energy, like wind, water, and methane.

 

[90K]

I like my Verizon service. I'd rather use my cell phone than my land line.

Dereg is good in the long run, I think. Enteprenuers will exploit new sources of energy, like wind, water, and methane.

Well maybe but traditional methods have kept the cost in order and have mandated proper service needs of it's customers. I'm not against other means of energy it is a good thing as long as it is regulated by proper service. wait til that land line messes up and tell me about your experience with union verizon

 

[glockmail]

Well maybe but traditional methods have kept the cost in order and have mandated proper service needs of it's customers. I'm not against other means of energy it is a good thing as long as it is regulated by proper service. wait til that land line messes up and tell me about your experience with union verizon

Until the dereg'd the phone companies there were no cell phones. Now we have satellite phones. Sure there have been bumps and high costs along the way but such is the price of technical progress. Most of the costs have been borne by the tech-happy consumers, saving the po' folk millions.

Dereg everything as far as I'm concerned. Let the enteprenuers figure out what's next.

 

[90K]

Until the dereg'd the phone companies there were no cell phones. Now we have satellite phones. Sure there have been bumps and high costs along the way but such is the price of technical progress. Most of the costs have been borne by the tech-happy consumers, saving the po' folk millions.

Dereg everything as far as I'm concerned. Let the enteprenuers figure out what's next.

Maybe you are right? I'd like to get a piece of the action then I'd be fully convinced.

 

[KarlMarx]

I am now on my 6th week with the new energy saving lights. I've noticed one minor difference. The energy saving lights will be dimmer initially, but after about 30 seconds, they are just as bright as a regular incandescent, perhaps even more so.

I've noticed a couple of really neat things about them. If you turn them off in a dark room, they have a very faint glow for about a minute. Another thing I noticed is that they will glow for a second if there is any static discharge nearby. The reason for both phenomena is that the inside of the tube is coated with a phosphor that glows in the presence of an electrical field.

One other thing. Since the energy saving light bulbs are actually fluorescent light bulbs, they contain a small amount of mercury. You aren't supposed to dispose of them in the trash.

The reason that both energy saving lights and LEDs are so energy efficient is that they use more of their energy than incandescents to create light instead of heat. In the case of LEDs, nearly 100% the energy is used to create light. Energy saving lights use an electrically charged gas to stimulate a phosphor that glows in the presence of an electrical field. LEDs give off light using quantum effects. An energy saving light uses about 14 watts to give off the same light as a 60 watt light bulb. An LED light uses about 5 or 6 watts to do the same. Because LEDs generate light using quantum effects, they can only radiate a single wavelength. That is why LEDs come in single colors. White LEDs do not actually radiate white light, they emit ultraviolet light, but their enclosures are coated with a phosphor that radiates white light in the presence of ultraviolet light.

Major cities that have switched to LED lighting for traffic signals have reported cost savings of over 1 million dollars a year because LED traffic signals use so little electricity. In addition, LEDs have very long service lives. LED lighting can have a service life of about 100,000 hours (that's about 11 years of continuous use).

I've noticed that LEDs seem to give off a great deal of light in one axis (straight ahead), but as you move away from that central axis, the intensity of the light diminishes. That is why LEDs are so good in signal lights and displays. In those applications, the viewer is usually on, or near, the central axis. However, LEDs are not as well suited for general lighting for precisely the same reason. Many LED lights simply consist of a flat array of LEDs. So they give off an intense light directly in front of them, but the light quickly becomes fainter as you move away from that central axis. I think the problem is how the LEDs are distributed in LED light bulbs. If someone could invent a way to arrange the LED semiconductors on a sphere, then enclose the sphere with a phosphor coated envelope, they may be onto something.