Change a Light, Change the World

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Just when we finish switching to CF bulbs, will high lumen LED's be available which put even these to shame, energy wise?

I think it will be quite some time before LEDs are cost effective as main room lighting. They just don't (cheaply) "scale up" to the light output that many people expect for a room (unlike CF lights, that can easily be made bigger and brighter, at the cost of a few more watts of power for the light).

However, 110v LEDs are already good choices for very low light "spot lighting" around the home. For example, I am somewhat fond of this light (the slightly bluish "white" version is around $6/each, colored versions are even cheaper) from http://www.SuperBrightLeds.com. It's only 15 lumens (about as much light as some "night lights"), but it's also only 0.7 watts! I have started putting them in places around the house where I want just a little light, but for long periods of time. And the really nice thing about this specific LED light, is that this "bulb" has no problems with cold. Which is why I also use them to replace all my fridge/freezer lights, thereby letting me have some light in the fridge/freezer without the normal (appliance bulb) effect of the fridge/freezer heating up a lot from the light (and thereby having to then work harder, using yet more electricity, to cool things back down when you close the fridge/freezer door).


Oh yeah, I also have one of these (about $20) Luxeon "spot lights". I actually leave the thing on all the time (to light a key section of floor, that you really want lit). It's not a lot of light (only around 30 lumens), nor does it cover a lot of ground area. But for only 1 watt of power, it does a good job...


And I even have one of these LED units as the "door light" (next to the outside ice/water dispenser) on a fridge:

[schmeep]

when we bought our house 3 years ago, i replaced most of the bulbs with the energy efficient ones that are supposed to have a long life-span,

but i had to replace most of them after about a year and a half and that isn't even with regular use, even the laundry room that is only on for short stints burnt out on me.
and they aren't all the same brand either.

considering the expense of these bulbs, it's a tough pill to swallow when they don't last two years.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by schmeep

when we bought our house 3 years ago, i replaced most of the bulbs with the energy efficient ones that are supposed to have a long life-span,

but i had to replace most of them after about a year and a half and that isn't even with regular use, even the laundry room that is only on for short stints burnt out on me.
and they aren't all the same brand either.

considering the expense of these bulbs, it's a tough pill to swallow when they don't last two years.

Sometimes the ballast built into the bulb to reduce the power goes bad, but this is a very rare instance. I've had those bulbs last for years. Sorry to hear it wasn't a good experience.

RH77

[MetroMPG]

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

I've only had one CF go bad (less than a year since going CF though), and it happened during a power brown-out.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

I've only had one CF go bad (less than a year since going CF though), and it happened during a power brown-out.

I've had incandescents last a few years, in full-on 24/7 (barring power outages). It was a security feature, but now I realize it's wasteful.

RH77

[tomauto]

I bought some GE Hexical bulbs that run on 10 watts....and One of them died a month after i installed it....The other two are working and I use them all the time in my lamps.

[Ted Hart]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

No joke: I've had regular bulbs last 8+ years in daily use with a dimmer switch for on/off. Protects an aging filament from the sudden shock of full current. After all, when do most bulbs burn out? When you switch them on.

Write on! 'Tis the shock of "full on" which makes the element snap! ...like a fuse! The voltage spike is tremendous!

[Ted Hart]

Originally Posted by zpiloto

Let me tell ya I was amazed at who may lights there are in my house. I had a trash bag full of old lights that I gave away.

A trash bag full? Don't bump it!!

[GasSavers_Brock]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not to promote incandescents, but you know how to make a conventional bulb last a REALLY long time? Replace the on/off switch with a dimmer. Power it up gently, and down the same way.

We do this in theatre a lot, it is called soft start. Also if a designer wants a fixture to come on really quickly one of the tricks is to have the light idle at like 5% and then bump it to full.

I even have an electronically controlled incandescent flashlight (surefire A2) that has a 100 ms soft start on the lamp. Without the soft start the lamp blew way too often. But now we use LED's

[GasSavers_James]

I put 10 in my parent's house in 2002 and another 10-15 in 2004. I think only one or 2 have burned out...one burned out right away, and then it seems like the rest will last forever. My parents leave the lights on in the house for long periods of time, which is good for their long life. In this situation, these bulbs have saved gobs of energy. I have previous experiences of them burning out quickly in the bathroom, because the light turns on and off all of the time. I think that a small incandecent, maybe one or two from the trash bag full, are best for the bathroom (they are cheap, and they are only on for a little while, and therefore not using too much energy).