Where does it all go!

[bobc455]

Keep in mind that use of ANY electrical appliance is a huge energy sucker when the A/C is running. Let's assume your A/C is 50% efficient:
60 watt light bulb consumes 60 watts of power and generates 60 watts of heat
in order to remove 60 watts of heat, your A/C has to average 120 watts of extra usage
60 + 120 = 180

So, running your 60 watt light bulb for an hour will cost you .180 kWh.
Same principle applies to your computer, your TV, fridge, etc.

-BC

[spotaneagle]

try the 5watt light bulbs at wal mart, if you get a light fixture you can modify(paint) paint it with a few coats of semi gloss white and it brings out the light like your won't believe I light entire rooms with 5watts often if you do it like I describe, the light is very soothing. they also have 9 watt bulbs

these 9 and 5 watt bulbs have an extra glass shell around them too that enhance the light

you can take off the light cover on your ceiling and paint that rusty old light fixture semi gloss white and then leave of the cover this will light entire rooms

i payed 20$ for electric for a few months(after the bulb install thats 10$ a month less cause I got smart about my light, thats all the bulbs cost, instant benefit unlike a prius

i also have a solar led in one room

and led night lights instead of light, also using street lights for addition guidance around dark house

[spotaneagle]

im telling u guys painting light fixture with semi gloss paint is huge because the fixtures are so close to the light source it reflects it so well

also you can paint(yes paint to reduce your electric bills) your walls white or repaint your ceiling white or paint the ceiling in semi gloss paint it will add a ton of light as well, semi gloss paint has a cooling effect too so if you use ac more than heat I would paint everything you can with white semi gloss not only will you notice it will be cooler a little, but it will be way brighter, just be creative..

o yea semi gloss vs flat paint

touch some paint thats shiny and then touch some paint thats not on the same type of surface, and you will notice the semi paint feels cooler

[Jay2TheRescue]

My only complaint about those bulbs, is that although the quality of the light is very good, they take several minutes to come to full brightness. I made the mistake of putting them in the kitchen, and there is nothing worse than stumbling into the house with an armload of groceries, flip on the light, and you still can't see. I had to switch out one of the kitchen bulbs so there was at least some instant light, while the other bulbs were "warming up"

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

My only complaint about those bulbs, is that although the quality of the light is very good, they take several minutes to come to full brightness. I made the mistake of putting them in the kitchen, and there is nothing worse than stumbling into the house with an armload of groceries, flip on the light, and you still can't see. I had to switch out one of the kitchen bulbs so there was at least some instant light, while the other bulbs were "warming up"

yea that is a bad place for em. we put them in the bathroom light fixture so during the day its kinda dim after youve been outside blinded by the sun go to take a leak and its dim as crap in there.

BUT i LOVE them especially at night, wake up go in there flick the switch just enough light to see but not full on that your eyes are blinded

[spotaneagle]

Try the semi gloss fix! you'll get 3x the light, well it just seems that way. Find a light that you arent to worried about, or a light socket in the ceiling and paint that sucker pure semi gloss white(2 coats) I swear you'll get real good results.

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by bobc455

Here's something to consider. A/C units draw a LOT of power, and are actually quite inefficient. (The inefficiency is a result of trying to pump heat from a low-heat location to a high-heat location).

For the sake of argument, let's assume your air conditioner runs at 33% efficiency. That is, for every "watt" of energy that the air conditioner cools your home, it requires three watts of electricity.

Now let's assume you turn on a 60W light bulb. That 60W bulb is actually a 100% efficient heating device, throwing exactly 60W of heat into your house. Now in order to cool that 60W of heat, the air conditioner must consume 3X60W = 180W of power (averaged over a long period). So that 60W light bulb is now costing you 240W of electricity!

This is the reason that you have to be REALLY careful about unplugging things like power chargers, VCRs, TVs, etc. They may only consume 5-10W apiece, but when you sum those up then multiply by four the power consumption becomes quite large.

Obviously, things like fluorescent light bulbs are worth their weight in gold too. And if your fridge is old, and consuming (for example) 300W instead of 200W, you can see how that will drive your A/C usage skyward.

Also, the time of day at which you run your clothes dryer (if it's located inside) can have a huge effect because you have to cool all of the "makeup" air.

-Bob C.

Put your fridge in a cool location, it will be more efficient.. or make adjustments so less heat goes near it..

Buy only energy star?


I've always been a fan of keep the hot air out and the cool air in.. and window fans, way cheaper than a/c in certain climates you can get away with just that, a/c isn't that great for your health in all situations, as being warm is good for your vascular system.

So wait till 8pm to air out my house I guess, on hot days, and then leave the windows open all night, close them early in the morning when the temp outside hits rock bottom. My electric bills are always below 30 or 40 in that case, and that was before my light bulb switch over.(from 13watt to 5 watts, 9watts)