I call bullshit to this for many reasons! Who the fuck is our government to tell us what lightbulbs to use first of all. Secondaly, the old school bulbs last years…prob 3-4. Thirdly…I switched up my house years ago to the “new age” bulbs.and guess what? The lighting not only sucked major balls, but my electric bill did NOT go down at all! And #4…I work at a store that sells bulbs…and every day…someone is returning/exchanging an "elite"new bulb cuz it burned out…or had their electrical outlet smokin…heads up…Menards stores still have the old school bulbs…they have a ton them!!
Rand Paul…talkin about toiliets and lightbulbs…hats off Senator!!!
The same government who can tell you who you can marry, or that you can’t have an abortion.
I know…right?
Ah, the smug condescension of 'Dopers. Can’t just have a differing opinion, it is important to be superior about it! I bet you don’t own a TV, amirite?
Record players, film cameras, dial phones-they all have limitations that were eliminated with improvements. CDs and later full digital music made playing songs easier. Digital cameras make picture taking easier. Touch tone and later memory dialing made calling easier.
But how are CFLs similar for the average user? More expensive initially, harder to dispose of, can’t be dimmed. They DO have the advantage of cheaper operating costs, and reducing greenhouse gasses. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
But incandescents are simple! It’s just a light bulb! Light goes on, light goes off. Dimmable upon request. Never have to think about it. It’s a lighting choice, not a lifestyle choice.
You have bad memories of LIGHT BULBS?
I saw a huge stack of incandescent bulbs at Walmart yesterday with the warning they would be phasing them out. We currently have to use them for our well water pump in the winter to keep it from freezing something, not sure what, my husband has one hanging inside the little shed it’s in he only keeps it on during cold weather.
I also have my washing machine on the carport and I use one of those hanging bulb holders to keep a light going in it if it’s really cold because I’ve had a washer freeze up on me and it busted the water pump or something like that. Pardon my ignorance… this is an old house and we do what we have too to keep things going. Otherwise in the house we use the new kind. I admit I don’t care for them very much but don’t mind using them.
Although they do tend to burn out really quick sometimes … and I never saw my electric bill go down for them, but I’ll use them for the environmental benefits…
I really need to get back into Walmart before they are all gone and grab a few more to store in the shed outside so we have them for years to come. After they run out, I guess we’ll figure out something else. Or something… I have not a clue. Knowing my luck I’ll be the last one standing and too old to add two and two much less figure that out.
I went with “other”. I have a serious stash, more than I will need for my lifetime, but for one specific lamp that has a shade that attaches via a clamp to the bulb itself. Love that lamp.
(Probably should get on the web and stash some for my lava-lamp as well)
you can put heater tapes (follow the instructions) on plumbing pipes and tanks which are more effective and costs less to run.
Thanks! I’m going to note that down and bring attention to the husband , I’ve never heard of those.
I bought about 15 four-packs of 60-watt incandescent bulbs right around New Year’s last month. They were about $1.30 per pack at Wal-Mart. The 60 bulbs cost about the same as two LED bulbs.
I bought these for two specific locations in our house: the basement and the garage, where it gets very cold during the winter, and where I want instant light. I would have bought 75-watt bulbs as well, but they were apparently phased out a year ago.
By the time I run out of these bulbs (10 years from now or longer), the cost and quality of the more energy-efficient bulbs should have come down considerably.
(Note that I have installed CFLs throughout most of the rest of the house.)
I’m picturing a scene out of Mommy Dearest.
In our barn I have heat tape along the water supply line starting one foot below ground. Then I have a layer of insulation, over which is a layer of heavy plastic. Even with the heat-tape, residual water in the hose freezes, and the supply line will freeze when temps drop below 0F.
With the combination of heat tape and two 100 watt bulbs, we’ve had water every day this winter.
Is there a good source, yet, for LED lights that put out the equivalent in lumens of a 100 watt incandescent? A 200?
I have one LED bulb so far, a 60-watt equivalent. Useful in its current location but too damn dim for a couple other spots which still have incandescents in them.
Must suck to live in the only house in the known universe where the laws of physics dont work. Have you considered doing like those "Mystery house’ tours, selling bumper stickers, etc?
I think you’re detecting something that doesn’t exist here. I watch the brake lights on a lot of vehicles, and the LED third brake light always comes on some milliseconds before the incandescent bulbs. This says 200 miliseconds faster.
you will find more LED replacements now that are omnidirectional, the light will spread closer to that of an incandescent bulb.
Sylvania has a 100W equivalent, model 78417. i have not tried it.
there are a number of 95W to 125W in reflector (PAR) bulbs.
Economically, maybe… ecologically definitely not.
Not only mercury, but phospherous, tin, plastic and electronic waste which could include a long list toxins, metals, and pollutants. Sure, it’s in minute amounts, but when billions of bulbs will be produced, this could become a problem which didn’t exist before.
Actually, you may want to refresh youself in the laws of thermal physics.
The heating load which was once supplied by the incandescent bulbs must now be picked up by his heating system. If he heats by electricity the net effect on his bill would be negligible.
Where do you figure the extra energy to run incandescents comes from, unicorn farts? It comes primarily from coal, at least in the US. Coal fired utility boilers emitted 48 tons of mercury in 1999. How many CFL bulbs is that, and how much easier is it to capture that mercury compared to the stuff floating around in the air?
And the heating load question ignores the fact that in much of the year in much of the country the heating load increases air conditioning demand. Thermal physics works both ways, or didn’t you learn that? I hate paying to make heat and then paying again to move that heat outside.
I don’t understand the delay that some people experience when turning on CFLs. I double checked last night and none of our CFLs took more than a half a second to turn on. If you are in that much of a hurry that this is an issue perhaps you need to slow down a bit.
We switched to all CFLS three years ago and still none have burnt out.
He’s a rand-ite. 'nuff said? And, as Bill Door sez, you only heat part of the year.
Even in Alaska.