Thread: Will You Buy A $50 Light Bulb?

Originally Posted by sawyerloggingon

Light bulb electric use is nibbling around the edges. It is heating elements that use the most energy and that is where technological advances could make a real difference. When you make your toast in the morning you are using 1000- 1500 watts. Then theres your stove and oven, water heater, hair dryer, clothes dryers , heaters and yes even your fridge.Heating elements are the big user of electricity. Not to mention AC in summer, deep well pumps and various other 220 volt appliances. Then theres television, computers, video games etc etc. Lighting is the last thing we should be paying 10 million for not the first.

It all helps Sawyer. As noted above, lighting accounts for 22% of our electrical needs. Here is a low cost solar method to reduce energy needs for heating water. I am gathering components to make me one of these bad boys:

Solar Hot Water Heater Batch Pre-heater

Originally Posted by sawyerloggingon

Light bulb electric use is nibbling around the edges. It is heating elements that use the most energy and that is where technological advances could make a real difference. When you make your toast in the morning you are using 1000- 1500 watts. Then theres your stove and oven, water heater, hair dryer, clothes dryers , heaters and yes even your fridge.Heating elements are the big user of electricity. Not to mention AC in summer, deep well pumps and various other 220 volt appliances. Then theres television, computers, video games etc etc. Lighting is the last thing we should be paying 10 million for not the first.

To put it simply, I just don't agree. Of course, anywhere we can become more energy efficient is a great thing, but lighting is a very important component. I'd love to see the saving that would stem from switching all street lights in this country from incandescent (or they might be halogen in most areas) to CFL's or LED's as the technology improves. Along with that, the cost savings from the city only having to check lights every ten years and replacing the bulbs every 20 years would be huge.

Also, many of the things you mentioned are being worked on. I know there are federal tax credits (or they might have just expired) for solar powered add-ons to your house, I got a tax credit from my state when purchasing my new fridge and washer and dryer to get more energy efficient versions etc. etc.

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

How tiny is it if 100 million households replace upwards of a dozen, or more, light bulbs with CFL's, and then in 5-10 years they all find their way into landfills?

I know there are some places that are starting a recycle program just for CFL bulbs. Perhaps you could google search for it in your area?

I'm just not that interested to be honest.
It's not that big of a problem.

The thing about the gov spending 10 million to get this bulb made is that you can already buy 6 watt bulbs( as I keep repeating) for 20 bucks for a four pack at costco so the 10 million was a bureaucratic boondoggle.

The following link is a local catalog I get alot of my stuff from and it has great info on how much elec the average house uses and what appliances use in terms of energy. It also has very energy efficient lights, appliances etc. It is worth looking at if you are into this stuff and very informative.


Backwoods Solar Electric Systems

If you don't want to bother with the link heres a good article from it.

TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH POWER YOU WOULD USE:

Start by finding how many watts each appliance needs. Be sure you use watt figures from special energy-efficient appliances recommended for solar electric homes, like compact fluorescent bulbs and solar-electric designed refrigerators. Do not add appliances that should be propane fueled.

Then multiply listed watts of each appliance by the number of hours per day, on average, that appliance runs. This gives watt-hours per day for that light or appliance. Do this for each appliance. The total for all appliances is your total watt-hours needed each day.

Figures below show some appliances commonly used in independent solar homes. Substitute your own daily hours for each and add other appliances not listed. Refrigerators come on and off on demand by thermostat, so running time per day is not known. Our Kill-a Watt meter will accurately test watt-hours used per day for any AC appliance up to 1875 watts.
Appliance Watts Hours/Day Watt Hours/Day
Microwave Oven- Average 1260 1/4 315
Microwave Oven- with timer knob 900 1/4 225
Food Processor or Blender 200 1/20 10
Toaster 1200 1/10 120
Clothes Washer- standard 700 3/4 525
Clothes Washer 200 3/4 150
Vacuum Cleaner 1000 1/4 250
Electric Blanket 180 4 720
DC Power Bed-Warmer 60 4 240
Refrigerator/Freezer- standard 1500
Small Apartment Fridge 4 cu.ft. 945
12/24V RV NovaKool 4 cu.ft. 300
10 cu. ft. Freezer- standard 1000
Window Air Conditioner- small 660 6 4000
Ceiling Fan AC 60 6 360
Ceiling Fan DC 5-20 6 30-120
Water Well Pump- 120V AC, 100 GPD 1000 1/3 350
Water Well Pump- DC, 100 GPD 100 1 100
Standard 60W Light Bulb 60 4 240
CFL Light Bulb- Eq to 60W 15 4 60
Computer 100 4 400
Laser Jet Printer- operating 90 1/4 23
19" Color TV 85 3 255
32" LCD TV 140 3 420
Satellite Receiver 20 3 60
Quality Stereo 40 4 160


More appliances are shown in books in back of this catalog, or see the label on each appliance.


HOW MANY WATTS OF SOLAR MODULES ARE NEEDED?




On a fully sunny day, each solar module produces the equivalent of six hours of its maximum charging ability. Divide your total watt-hours needed each day by six. Theoretically, this calculation tells you how many rated watts of solar modules are needed to produce your day’s power from a day’s sunshine.

However we now add 50% more solar watts to allow for solar module derating (actual working watts is less than theoretical maximum rating) and for power loss in wiring, batteries and inverter. This gives the watts of solar you need to install if every day is fully sunny.

Since our location is not sunny every day, in the northwest corner of the U.S. we must add another 60% to 100% to the total in an attempt to make up for our cloudy, short winter days. The percentage to add for areas in the 48 states is shown on the U.S. map above. In the desert southwest showing 0%, nothing needs to be added.

This final number is the total rated solar watts you should install to meet your level of energy consumption on average in your climate. Because weather changes year to year, and because seasons vary more in some areas than in others, this estimate is a rough figure, but close enough to work. This process is explained in more detail, with work sheets, in books listed in back of this catalog. If you are sizing a system for a home with utility power, please reference our Grid-Tie sizing article.

Originally Posted by Catawba

From the OP:

It lasts ten years and with the reduced electrical usage for the same light output, it will save consumers $100 in reduced power bills over the ten year life of the bulb.

Then yes, I would buy a 50 dollar light bulb.

Originally Posted by Ikari

Then yes, I would buy a 50 dollar light bulb.

Why not buy the cheap ones at COSTCO??? Excuse me while I go pound my head on a wall!

Originally Posted by sawyerloggingon

Why not buy the cheap ones at COSTCO??? Excuse me while I go pound my head on a wall!

Are they the same lightbulb? Under those circumstances, then I think maybe I would. But if it's the energy inefficient ones vs the energy efficient ones wherein the energy efficient ones more than pay for themselves over the lifetime of the light bulb, then there is little reason to not go with the more energy efficient bulb.

Originally Posted by sawyerloggingon

The thing about the gov spending 10 million to get this bulb made is that you can already buy 6 watt bulbs( as I keep repeating) for 20 bucks for a four pack at costco so the 10 million was a bureaucratic boondoggle.

The following link is a local catalog I get alot of my stuff from and it has great info on how much elec the average house uses and what appliances use in terms of energy. It also has very energy efficient lights, appliances etc. It is worth looking at if you are into this stuff and very informative.


Backwoods Solar Electric Systems

Fine. then be very upset with Bush for starting this initiative and move on. Done is done. Hopefully from this they will be able to mass produce and make the technology available to others to bring the cost down. 10 million outlay aside...winner all around.

Originally Posted by Ikari

Are they the same lightbulb? Under those circumstances, then I think maybe I would. But if it's the energy inefficient ones vs the energy efficient ones wherein the energy efficient ones more than pay for themselves over the lifetime of the light bulb, then there is little reason to not go with the more energy efficient bulb.

They are LED lights, they are not government bulbs, they are cheap they use 6 watts they last for years! You need to start wearing a helmet mam you have crashed your Harley one too many times without one!