[TheForge] OT: Government waste

[wmullett at bright.net]

Bruce, 

I think everything you say makes sense.  

I will add that costs are dropping rapidly because of competition but there is still no reason to just change for change sake.  But if you need to replace bulbs, then you should still be looking at your options.

Obviously, you can't use a CFL where you have a clamp on bulb, light shade.  

BTW - Most people don't know that LED's have a very high heat output over their very small area.  That heat will kill the LED if not placed in the proper orientation.  That's why you are seeing solutions like heat dissipating fins or the liquid cooled bulb I posted the link to.

A mere 10 percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb is light.  The rest is cast off as waste heat.  The law passed under Bush mandates that this efficiency has to increase. The hubbub about the law has been deeply irritating to light bulb manufacturers and retailers, which have been explaining the law, over and over again, to whomever will listen. At a Congressional hearing last March, Kyle Pitsor, a representative from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group that represents makers of light bulbs, among others, patiently but clearly disputed claims that the law banned incandescent bulbs. He restated the law’s points and averred light bulb makers’ support for the law. As usual, it seemed as if no one was paying attention. 


Joseph Higbee, a spokesman for the electrical manufacturers association, offered his take on the situation: “Unfortunately people do not yet understand this lighting transition, and mistakenly think they won’t be able to buy incandescent light bulbs. This misinformation has been promoted by a number of media outlets (especially Fox). Incandescent light bulbs are not being banned, and the new federal energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs do not mandate the use of CFLs. My hope is that the media can help the American people understand the energy-efficient lighting options available, as opposed to furthering misconceptions.” 

---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:55:48 -0400
>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net (on behalf of "Bruce ." <freemab222 at gmail.com>)
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] OT: Government waste  
>To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>
>This particular thread seems to be discussing mostly renovations of a
>major scale.
>
>I, for one, have no problem with fluorescent lights in most
>circumstances.  I have fluorescents in half my basement, two pantry
>closets, and over my bathroom and kitchen sinks, and even in a couple
>table lamps.
>
>AFAICT,  "compact fluorescents" pose no advantage over traditional
>fluorescents, they're just a different size and shape.  BTW, they do
>NOT fit anywhere traditional incandescent bulbs fit -- I have several
>fixtures that cannot accept compact fluorescents, and I will NOT spend
>ridiculous amounts of money on new fixtures just to accommodate these
>things.  This failure to fit in any fixture is one reason I don't use
>them more.
>
>Another reason is their ridiculous price.  Yet another is that they
>don't seem to turn on fast enough to be useful to me, especially in
>areas I go in and out of quickly.  Yet another is that the common ones
>cannot be used on dimmer switches.  (Very expensive ones can, but that
>defeats the purpose.)
>
>But for the most part, the difference in energy consumption is not a
>significant issue to me.  After dark, I typically have two or three
>bulbs burning.  One of these is likely halogen -- already energy
>efficient, but bright.  Since I use it for reading AND I suffer from
>S.A.D., I NEED it bright.  The other one or two are likely to be
>incandescent, 60W-100W.
>
>The halogen and three of my more commonly used room lights are on
>dimmer switches, and are not glowing at full brightness, which, for
>incandescents at least, mean they're not consuming their full wattage
>rating.
>
> That's IT.  Not a whole hell of a lot of electric consumption.  When
>more than two or three lights are lit, I turn them off.
>
>Now, I'm in NJ.  My furnace pilot light is lit from about Sept. to
>about the end of May because the furnace may have to cut in to warm
>the house.  That means that for nine months of the year, THERE IS NO
>WASTE HEAT from incandescent bulbs.  True, I wouldn't choose to heat
>my home with electric, but what heat is generated does not go to
>waste.
>
>In the other three months of the year, the days are long and the
>lights are on less.
>
>100W bulbs have already disappeared from most local stores.  (I'm not
>telling where I can still buy them, but most people wouldn't go
>looking for them there.)  I stashed a number of them away, out of
>harm's way.  I'm hoping that by the time I run out of those (I don't
>go through many), either there will be a better, cheaper alternative
>to compact fluorescents, or the backlash from the public will have
>restored 100W incandescents to the shelves.
>
>What I've never understood is why nobody has come out with halogen
>equivalents for 100W bulbs.  Take a small quartz halogen tube of
>proper light output, and put it inside a frosted "light bulb" (perhaps
>of heavy construction and with vents for cooling).  If that's out
>there, let me know.  The halogens I find require special fixtures.
>Very silly, considering all the brouhaha that has gone into fitting
>fluorescents into incandescent sockets.
>