Energy saving lightbulbs

[RU482]

I converted all by incandescent bulbs to whale oil lamps. I'm saving a ton on electricity

 

[BurnItDwn]

When I lived on my own, I rarely had any lights on (the glow of the monitor or TV was usually plenty of light)

Now that I live with my GF and her kids, I am trying to use pretty much exclusively CFL lighting (though basement has big fluorescent lights in the drop ceiling.

The kids leave the damn lights on all the frickin time, drives me crazy!

Eventually I'd like to replace the Big flourescent tubes in the basement with ones that are 1/2 as bright. I don't like watching TV or gaming on my PC in bright rooms.

 

[sjetexas]

I don't think they (or most that I've seen) play nice with dimmers...which I use for almost all my lamps. They're good in certain spots though.

 

[sandorski]

All the lights I use, except the dimming chandelier that I rarely use anyway, are CFL now. I have both Soft variety and the "Daylight" variety and like them both. The "Daylight" took awhile to get used to, but now that I have it's no big woop.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: sjetexas
I don't think they (or most that I've seen) play nice with dimmers...which I use for almost all my lamps.

There are now CFLs designed to work with dimmers. Most will have some indication on their packaging to that effect.

 

[BoomerD]

Yes, there ARE dimmable CFL's, but they're never the "cheap ones."

I have 3 fixtures that are on dimmers. Converting them over at $5 per bulb would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: dullard
I like them. I use the ones that replace 60W normal bulbs.

Why do I like them?

1) The CFL bulbs I bought give truer colors and I can see the difference in items such as navy blue vs slightly faded black. I can't do that with a normal bulb.

2) I can leave a light on 24 hours/day (for my cat to see its litterbox in an otherwise completely dark room, too dark for a cat to even see). I don't like stepping in messes and I don't like paying for a normal bulb's costs.

3) My last electric bill gave me an energy credit (free money to me) for using too little energy.

4) I'm not an idiot using CFLs in ways that they weren't intended: such as cold locations or areas where you flip them on/off repeatedly.

Dullard,

For the lights you leave on 24/7 just so your cat can see, you should look into auto on/off LED nightlights. They have a nice 3 pack at the local Walgreens (here, Chicago burbs) for like $10, and they claim that they cost < $1 per year to run.

I have lots of these all over the house (Basement / laundry / garage / bathrooms / etc..), for just that reason..

 

[0roo0roo]

yup led night lights use almost nothing. far more efficient than any cf.

and really..cats have EXTREME night vision, give them a night light and its like day for them. leaving on cf 24/7 is totally ridiculous for a cat

 

[BoomerD]

I've looked into replacing some of my light bulbs with LED bulbs, but HOLY CRAP! They're SPENDY! Most are running at least $15/bulb, and that gives an incandescant equivalent of between 20 and 40 watts. That'd be fine for some of the bulbs I want to replace, but that cost is nuts. Hopefully, over time, the price will drop considerably. (most of them can't be dimmed either)

 

[0roo0roo]

yea led bulbs are not ready for prime time. only in flashlights and nightlights right now.

 

[jjones]

I like them better than the old incandescent bulbs. I've been using them for a few years now.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: ebaycj
Dullard,

For the lights you leave on 24/7 just so your cat can see, you should look into auto on/off LED nightlights. They have a nice 3 pack at the local Walgreens (here, Chicago burbs) for like $10, and they claim that they cost < $1 per year to run.

I'm just too lazy. I have the litter box in a back corner of the storage room. There are no outlets there. Yes, I could easilly run a new Romex over there and install an outlet. But at a cost of under 60 cents/month for a CFL, I just haven't had the desire to buy the materials and take the time to install an outlet.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: ebaycj
For the lights you leave on 24/7 just so your cat can see, you should look into auto on/off LED nightlights. They have a nice 3 pack at the local Walgreens (here, Chicago burbs) for like $10, and they claim that they cost < $1 per year to run.

If you have an electrical socket in the room you want to illuminate, another alternative is electroluminescent night lights. These are on 24/7, but have such a small power draw that they (reportedly) cost ~3 cents/year to run, even constantly. They create a much dimmer light (you would not want to try reading by it, for example), but it's good enough for a human to navigate a dark room, so it's certainly sufficient for cats. I found a 2-pack of these for maybe $5 or so at Lowes.

 

[NaOH]

Use all CFLs at my apartment. That LED night liflght soundspretty sweet. I'm an nervy saving whore so I usually turn off all the lights at night only to run into shit all groggy

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: dullard
4) I'm not an idiot using CFLs in ways that they weren't intended: such as cold locations or areas where you flip them on/off repeatedly.

I've actually had a CFL outside for two years now. I would bet it's gotten as cold as -10F and it still works just fine. It takes a bit to get to full brightness when it's really cold, but it's still enough light to illuminate the doorway.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Fern
So far I'm not liking the CFLs at all.

I own a small commericial building and thought they would end up saving me money. I also put some in my house.

The damn things burn out too fast for me.

Fern

What brand, and how frequently do they get turned off and on?
-snip-

They're Sylvania (13W/60W).

Those in the office are usually turned on once in the morning (8 AM), and only turned off when the last person leaves the building at night (7 PM).

Those in the home are turned on at night (8 AM), and off in the morning.

I.e., not a lot of *on-n-off* stuff.

I've wondered if my electrical power was *dirty/fluctuating* or something. They just burn-out too quick. But if it's somehow the fault of my power, I suppose nothing can be done (without great expense).

Fern

 

[ComputerWizKid]

I really like them alot I moved into apartment 8yrs ago and I only lost two bulbs probably because of the cheap fixtures that could not even withstand the heat of a CFL(Whatever you do do not move into a lowest bidder flip house, Things are starting to fall apart 2 months into me living there) I use variety of brands of bulbs I really like the Home Depot Commercial Electric (Now N*Vision) I tend to stay away from the daylight replacement bulbs as they give me a headache and remind me of the fixtures in schools and Dr offices
I tend to get the GE 3 Pack 100Watt/26Watt from wall*Mart when I Can or the N*Vision pack (Also 100Watt Replacement Uses about 26Watts) from home Depot. I don't like the CostCo ones very much though as soon as you turn of the light it has to warm up like normal and then another minute until full brightness (The costco ones are made by Feit Electric

I tried the LED replacement bulbs for my nightlights and I keep getting a bad one (They come in packs of two) Do I need a night light base with a regular on-off switch and no automatic sensor?