[TheForge] OT: Government waste

Wed Mar 22 08:33:23 EDT 2017

My objections to compact fluorescents remain the same:
1) They guarantee long-life, but don't deliver, so end up costing a great
deal more than incandescent bulbs, even with the energy savings factored in.
2) They don't reach full brightness immediately, and hence are useless for
areas where the light will be on only for a short time.
3) They don't FIT in many lamps designed for standard incandescent bulbs.
4) The energy savings is irrelevant in the northern states, as the "wasted"
energy goes to heat my home, and when it's hot outside it's also mostly
daylight outside and inside.

Examples:
1) One of these compact fluorescents just burned out in my bathroom:
https://www.amazon.com/Ecosmart-23-Watt-Equivalent-Light-4-Pack/dp/B00BUR3752
I had noted I'd installed it on 29 Dec. '13, and it burned out about 6 Mar
'17 -- 438 days  This bulb probably was on maybe 4 hours a day.  Its rated
life is 10,000 hours, so it should have been good for 23 hours per day!
This is a $5, TEN times the price of an incandescent bulb.
2) The first few of these bulbs I bought at HD were SO slow to illuminate
that I took them back as defective -- and got my money back.
3) My hall lamp and a few of my other lamps simply cannot accommodate the
broad base of these bulbs.  I have no intention of changing out the
expensive light fixtures.
4) There are still many homes up this way that heat with electricity.  So
why shouldn't I heat with the waste heat from incandescent bulbs?

I have no problem with SOME uses of compact fluorescents, but prefer
standard fluorescents, myself.  I have standard fluorescent bulbs in my
basement, my kitchen, my bathroom and my shop.  I changed the ones  in my
kitchen, bathroom, and some of those in the basement, ONLY ONCE in the past
30 years.  In the past 20 years, I've yet to change the ones on my shop,
though, granted, before I heated the shop in winter they wouldn't come on
quickly and had to sit there warming up for several minutes after the
switch was turned on.

Bruce
NJ

On Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 6:55 PM, Charles <xlch58 at swbell.net> wrote:

> A standard tungsten bulb can last 22 years if you leave it on, carefully
> control the voltage fed to it and keep it in temperature controlled
> environment.  There are real world examples.   Same issues for an LED
> bulb.  One of the notes below I believe was mine.  The electronics get
> overheated and it is installation dependent to a degree.  Big heavy heat
> sinks help.  Quality control on the assembly line makes a difference as
> well as does quality components.
>
> Charles
>
> > On Mar 21, 2017, at 3:28 PM, Jacob Parker <jacobparkervt at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > A lot has changed about LED technology since 2012. LEDs are now
> available in many styles, wattages, and colour temperatures. You will be
> hard pressed to find a bulb that cannot be replaced by an equivalent LED.
> Many retail stores and other workplaces have replaced their T style
> fluorescents with LED replacement bulbs. These companies would not be
> investing in LEDs if they did not believe in their benefits. The technology
> has improved greatly even in the last two or three years.
> > I personally work in a hardware store, and I sell a lot of these bulbs.
> I don't believe that they truly last for 22 years like many say, but I
> would believe 10-15. Even then, they are far more cost efficient than the
> alternatives.
> > Brands like Greenlite, GE, Feit, and Westinghouse are manufacturing
> these bulbs to distributors for as little as 10 cents for 40-60 Watt
> equivalents. Retailers are selling for as little as 90 cents in some
> places. Their price compounded with their efficiency and other benefits
> makes them a no-brainer for me.
> >
> >> On Mar 21, 2017, at 17:12, Walter <wmullett at bright.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> Going through old emails and I found this when members were complaining
> about the lightbulb changes. (I removed the authors) Florescent twist bulbs
> were a pain but the result of that "government over reach" is the current
> LED technology.  If you haven't put them in your shops then you are working
> in the dark.
> >>
> >> In our state, the energy savings of these bulbs is being rewarded with
> kickbacks from the utility companies.   My son sells these and in some
> cases, the payback for these 20 year + bulbs is less than 10 months.  He is
> selling to a lot of manufacturing.   They have high bay lamps that replace
> the metal halite and other inefficient lighting.
> >>
> >> ---- Original message ----
> >>>> Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:36:54 -0500
> >>>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net (on behalf of
> >>>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] OT: Government waste
> >>>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>> On 3/21/2012 6:16 PM, ----------- wrote:
> >>>>>> On 3/21/2012 6:04 PM, ---------- wrote:
> >>>>>> LEDs are WAY different from florescent bulbs of which I am not that
> >>>>>> fond.  We have a few in the house.  They are costly and have not
> lasted
> >>>>>> anywhere near as long as claimed.  I've had them go in as little as
> two
> >>>>>> or so months.  Driving 25 miles to return them is not worth the
> cost of
> >>>>>> the fuel.  They can shove those where the sun shineth not.
> >>>>> The flourescent lights usually fail because of the electronics.  They
> >>>>> overheat when mounted in a can, or even when mounted upside down.
>  When
> >>>>> mounted in a standard lamp they do well.   A good example of not
> enough
> >>>>> test cases and minimum standards.
> >>>> \
> >>>> Good to know, but it helps us not a whit.  I am NOT refitting an
> entire
> >>>> house for the sake of some idiotic law.
> >>>> ______________________________________________________________
> >>>>
> >>
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