Sunday, February 25, 2007

Go Flo

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I recently decided it was time to go florescent. That is, switch from standard light bulbs to florescent bulbs.

I’m actually kind of sorry I hadn’t done it sooner but I was always reluctant to spend what seemed to me to be a lot of money for a light bulb. Well, now they really don’t cost that much. I got an eight pack of 60 watters (actually they are only 15 watts but have the same illumination effect as a 60 watt traditional incandescent bulb) for $12.72 at Sams Club. I also bought a bunch of 100 watt (equivalent) bubs and some 40 watters all for about the same price.

Here’s the advantage: these bulbs use about ¼ the energy of traditional light bulbs. That’s good for the environment and really good for your electric bill. While the florescent bulbs are still somewhat more expensive than the incandescents, they pay for themselves many times over. In addition to costing less to use, they also last much, much longer than incandescents.

There are some minor downsides to these bulbs however. For one, they take a second to light when the switch is thrown. I mean literally one second, but that’s a little jarring when you are used to instantaneous light. It’s not a big deal but I think it’s going to take a while for me to adjust my expectations to what happens when I turn on a light.

The women folk in my house also say, correctly I assume, that the new bulbs treat color differently, even if only slightly, and that’s a problem for applying makeup. So, the bathroom mirrors continue to be lit the old fashioned way in my house. And that’s fine since the new bulbs don’t come in decorative styles like globes and candle flames.

Another problem, also minor, is that these bulbs have a harder time in colder weather. This applies only to bulbs outside where they tend to take a little more time getting to full brightness. One of the first bulbs I used, I put in my back porch light during the latest cold snap. It still worked at zero degrees but it took maybe a minute or more to get to full strength.

Otherwise, I’m sold and am currently in the process of replacing all of our household lights with fluorescents. I was going to wait to replace the bulbs as the old ones burned out. But I figured, hey, what wait to start saving money. Now I have a pile of old school bulbs I’m not sure what to do with.

The price of these bulbs will continue to come down as they get more popular and as governments push for their use. California has passed legislation that will ban the incandescent bulbs by 2012 and Australia recently made a similar move. Expect to see more of this in coming years.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Freecycle!

JeromeProphet said...

We went florescent years ago. Great move, except where it gets cold.

You've waited so long that florescents are obsolete!

Although I won't replace mine until they wear out, and that will be years, and years, and years from now.

Kind of an odd feeling not buying or changing light bulbs in so long.

Anyway, florescents are history, long live the LED. The LEDs last ten or more years, and manufactures have finally mastered how to mix the primary colors to produce "white" light.

Power consumption on LEDs make florescents look like what florescents make incandescents look like.

All this will save billions of dollars, and cut green house gas emissions too.

JP

Dave said...

Yeah, but can I get the LEDs at Sams in 8 packs?

JeromeProphet said...

Prices on LEDs have come down significantly, yet they're quite expensive by comparison, and harder to obtain.

They can be purchased over the Internet, but sticker shock will prevent most homeowners from taking the plunge. Businesses however would find LEDs economical at this point if they need a light that won't go out for ten years, and is extremely economical to operate.

We've scanned your finger prints into the FBI data base, and you came up clean. However, now everyone can access your laptop.

JP

Anonymous said...

Dave shops at Sam's Club?!?! I, for one, am appalled! So help me, next time I am there buying office supplies, I will shoot industrial size rubber-bands at you! But since I don't know what you look like, could you post a pic along with your Sam's Club visitation schedule so we can coordinate?

Anonymous said...

Computer enhancement of Dave's reflection from the lightbulb in this post reveals that Dave has a cleft lip.

His hand reveals he walks with a cane, while his nails show that he was once injured in an industrial accident.

I think he'll be easy to spot.

Look for the fake beard!

JP

Dave said...

Blevins,

I’m there most Saturday’s getting a free lunch from all the sample carts. Now, midday Saturday, they have a guy near the produce section cooking food and giving it out by the (small) plate-load. Best free food in town.

JP,

You know this but that picture is some random Google Images shot. My hands are much prettier.

Anonymous said...

Slam! Dave, I don't know if you know, but I think that you know that I know that you know that you just got insulted by a very clever person using the name anonymous!

However, I think I would take being called an idiot by a gutless pussy who can't come up with a more original name. And how does shopping at Sam's Club make one an idiot? Imbreeding...there is a reason it is taboo, anonymous.