Light bulbs ban
- Thread starter Loppan Torkel
- Start date
It should exactly balance out the monetary saving you would otherwise get by using the energy efficient bulbs. There isn't that much heat created, but neither is there that much expected savings.
In practice other factors like the fact that spot-heating won't turn your heating off unless the bulb is near the thermostat, may have larger impact. So Looking at results may be a better policy here.
Mercury. They need to be disposed of properly, which means tossing them in the trash is a no-no.
Newer ones have less mercury in them.
There is the issue of flicker, although that may not be a problem with CFLs. The light spectrum IS shallower than incandescents, ranging from 50-75% of their fullness.
And the overall color is simply different. I personally like earth tones and a bright bluish white light that underplays certain colors ruins any color scheme I like.
Loppan Torkel
Deity
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So, do you like them? Have you been getting any headaches lately??
Okay, and a light in the middle of the room is different in its heat radiation because?
Actually that depends on the method of heating. Your statement is true for electrical heating (of course only when the light is only on when you need to heat). But heat pumps can have an "efficiency" of way over 1. That means they need less power to heat the house than the lightbulb would need, so there would indeed be savings, even during the winter.
The mercury in these lamps is a real problem, though.
That's going to make the lightbulb less effective, not less efficient, when talking about electricity use.
Efficiency is measured by the amount of electricity that isn't converted to heat, a lightbulb is going to be less efficient as a heater because some of the energy is being emitted as light.
And? Heat radiation is linear in area, but proportional to T^4 in temperature. This means that the smaller area is at least partially compensated by the temperature of the lightbulb, which is way higher.
Anyway, the ability to radiate only determines how quickly the heat is radiated. The overall efficiency is the same, the heat has to go somewhere in the long run.
Because it's usually a few inches from the ceiling, enclosed by a glass bowl?
Flourescent bulbs are something like three times more efficient at converting electricity to visible light and last ten times longer. So if they're less than ten times more expensive than incandescent bulbs, it's already a better deal, and how much better a deal depends on how much you pay for electricity. Sure incandescent bulbs help heat a room, but they're less efficient than dedicated electric heat (because of the placement issue, if nothing else), and aren't tied to a thermostat other than the "nights are both dark and cooler" inherent usage. More than anything else, since electric heat is one of the least efficient thus most expensive forms of home heating energy, your incandescent light bulbs are less efficient heaters than whatever primary means you use to heat your home, it's just a question of how much less efficient.
Oh. Silly me. Thanks.
Not if you don't have air-conditioning. I don't even use an electric fan (too much risk of the cats having an accident).
I use an old-fashioned fan of the sort that takes physical energy to use. And any old magazine or newspaper flyer will serve the purpose.
But if light bulbs are banned, what will that do to light bulb jokes?
LucyDuke
staring at the clock
I'm not really enthusiastic about stuff getting outlawed. But I'm not really passionate about light bulbs.
Well, that's change for you. She'd've had to repaint if switching from oil lamps to incandescent bulbs too.
Beeswax!
What about a ceiling fan?
Well, that's change for you. She'd've had to repaint if switching from oil lamps to incandescent bulbs too.
At least they aren't outlawing candlesdespite the fact that they burn fossil fuels and have something like a .04% luminous efficacy.
Beeswax!
What about a ceiling fan?
Shadylookin
master debater
This is really just a conspiracy to kill us all with mercury poisoning. because honestly who is actually going to "properly" dispose of their compact fluorescent bulbs? I'm not going to keep busted bulbs for half an eternity to wait for a toxic throwout day.
and heaven forbid one of them actually break inside a home no one is going to do a proper cleanup because it costs a lot of money.
and heaven forbid one of them actually break inside a home no one is going to do a proper cleanup because it costs a lot of money.
Hey, you did a "would have" double apostrophe. I love those things.
MrCynical
Deity
Banning them seems somewhat unnecessary. Surely if the energy efficient bulbs really are so much better/cheaper people will switch anyway? Problem is that at least so far they can't properly replace the function of an incandescent bulb.
My main objection is that the energy efficient bulbs round here take forever to reach full brightness (which is considerably less than supposedly equivalent incandescent bulbs). Not so much of a problem in rooms where the lights are on for long uninterrupted periods, but if you only want them for a few minutes it's a bit irritating. With some of the older bulbs it reachs the stage where they get left on in situations where I'd turn an incandescent bulb off, just so I don't have to wait ages for them to warm up the next time.
My main objection is that the energy efficient bulbs round here take forever to reach full brightness (which is considerably less than supposedly equivalent incandescent bulbs). Not so much of a problem in rooms where the lights are on for long uninterrupted periods, but if you only want them for a few minutes it's a bit irritating. With some of the older bulbs it reachs the stage where they get left on in situations where I'd turn an incandescent bulb off, just so I don't have to wait ages for them to warm up the next time.
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- 9,316
The certainly can impact the heat of the house/room. Back in high school there was a significant enough difference between when I'd study in my room with an incandescent lamp burning for several hours and when I didn't study in my room. Sometimes I'd actually leave the room because it got hot enough it was uncomfortable just because of the lamp burning. Granted it wasn't that big of a room, but this is a standard 3-way lightbulb, and just one of them.
I'm neutral towards the new lamps/flourescent lamps. Quality seems to vary a lot more than in incandescent lamps. Decent new ones tend to have pleasant light quality - the ones at my university seem perfectly natural - but I've certainly seen some that aren't. And they don't turn on as quick.
I can put up with the half-second that the ones in my dad's den take - though I'd rather not have that, but the two minutes the ones in the entryway of my dorm suite and the shower room is just way too much. So instead of turning them off, we usually just leave them burning 24/7 - maybe 18/7 average really - which I'm sure is less efficient than using an incandescent lamp. But who wants to be in the dark while taking a shower, brushing their teeth, or combing their hair?
Sometimes it would take more time to wait for the lights to come on adequately than to do what you want to do.But if I can find a brand that gives light quality and reaction time that I'm satisfied with, I'll probably go with the new, more efficient bulbs.
Alpine Trooper
AllCiv
pretty funny that americans of all people live in the . .. .. .. .ing stone age of light bulbs.
anyways, a 23 watt cfl puts out 100watts, you can buy 6 for 16.99. You do the math. Furthermore, you can buy the color of an incandescent if you want. or you can buy white, or blue, or daylight, or any color for that matter. and no, they don't have poisonous levels of mercury in them and havnt for like the last 4 years at least.
and no you cant use a cfl in an easy bake.
but if it isn't hot,
produces light across the whole spectrum,
and doesnt use much energy,
but produces a lot of light
It becomes very useful for something, guess what?
anyways, a 23 watt cfl puts out 100watts, you can buy 6 for 16.99. You do the math. Furthermore, you can buy the color of an incandescent if you want. or you can buy white, or blue, or daylight, or any color for that matter. and no, they don't have poisonous levels of mercury in them and havnt for like the last 4 years at least.
and no you cant use a cfl in an easy bake.
but if it isn't hot,
produces light across the whole spectrum,
and doesnt use much energy,
but produces a lot of light
It becomes very useful for something, guess what?
Martacus
World's Greatest Warrior
We DO NOT live in the stone age of light bulbs!
We live in the Stone Age of rail transport.
Narz
keeping it real
Fluorescents suck. They contain mercury & are dangerous if broken.
The govt. would be better off pumping millions into LED technology.
The govt. would be better off pumping millions into LED technology.
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