My fluorescent lighting project

[Nightfall]

Well, after getting raped by the power company, I have decided to become more energy efficient when it comes to our electricity. I am already pretty efficient when it comes to our natural gas and electricity by regulating the temperature in our house while the wife and I aren't home to save on heating/cooling bills.

We have no pumps or electric heat (besides the stove), so the lights were my main target. I counted every lightbulb we had in the house and then started a plan to buy CFLs.

40 60 watt bulbs
14 40 watt bulbs
12 75 watt bulbs
3 75 watt floodlights

This covers every lightbulb in the house in every lamp and fixture I can replace. We do have 1 fixture that takes small 20 watt lights, 1 halogen lamp that is going to get replaced, and then the fixtures outside. I started by concentrating on inside first.

Armed with a couple gift cards I got for my birthday to Home Depot and Lowes, I went to work replacing bulbs. $225 later, all the bulbs are replaced. About $75 was out of pocket, so those gift cards did come in handy.

Now it is just a matter of waiting to see how much money I am going to save.

 

[mchammer]

Good luck, I have been insulating all of my windows and doors this fall in a similar effort. I will say thought that there is no use to put a flourecesent bulb where it will be on for less than five minitues at a time or so. They are best for lights that are on consistently. Also they need to be disposed of properly because like all flourescent lamps, they contain a small amount of mercury, which when vaporized and ionized gives of UV which is converted to visible light by the white coating on the bulbs.

 

[Nightfall]

The lights in our house are all used pretty evenly. For instance, we have 10 60 watt lightbulbs that are on one of our vanity mirrors. 2 vanity mirrors in the house and both bathrooms get used. The only place that the lights aren't used often are 6 60 watt bulbs in the basement. I replaced them for $10 for 6 bulbs. We had replaced those regular bulbs in the last couple years and they were due.

The fixtures outside aren't used at all hardly, which is why I probably won't replace those. I don't think I have ever replaced the lights outside in the history of the house.

 

[mchammer]

Man, you have a ton of lightbulbs, nobody uses 75 watt bulbs and you have 12 and 14 40 watt ones :Q
Also no three way bulbs?

 

[imported_Condor]

I did the big bulb switch about a year ago and it helped a lot. Something like 20 to 30% (guess) Now I am using electric heat (space heaters - radiator type) and stalling turning on the gas to see how much that costs/saves for the first month of winter as an experiment. I have a well insulated dwelling and live in a moderate climate so it is worth trying with gas high. Also have electric water heat. I think most energy used in a home is in hot water, environmental conditioning, and cooking.

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: mchammer
Man, you have a ton of lightbulbs, nobody uses 75 watt bulbs and you have 12 and 14 40 watt ones :Q
Also no three way bulbs?

Yea, we have 75 watt bulbs that I replaced with 60 watt ones. No need to have that much in the areas they had them.

We don't have a single 3 way bulb or dimming switch. We do have a couple lamps that have a bulb in the base and a bulb on top for double the light. Those were replaced with 60 watt bulbs that work like a champ.

As for the 40 watt ones, they are candleabra bulbs. We have one above our kitchen table, and the dining room table. One takes 8 40 watt bulbs and the other takes 6.

My goal overall in this was to save electric costs across the board. With $75 out of pocket to get every fixture in the house that I could, it all worked out. Whoever designed this house had a lot of lights in mind for it that is for sure.

 

[mchammer]

I see you live in Alabama, otherwise you would get killed on using electric for heat.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Save by wearing layers and keeping the heat at 60.

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: Condor
I did the big bulb switch about a year ago and it helped a lot. Something like 20 to 30% (guess) Now I am using electric heat (space heaters - radiator type) and stalling turning on the gas to see how much that costs/saves for the first month of winter as an experiment. I have a well insulated dwelling and live in a moderate climate so it is worth trying with gas high. Also have electric water heat. I think most energy used in a home is in hot water, environmental conditioning, and cooking.

That is what I am expecting. In the summer months with air conditioning, my bill was right around $130 or so. Winter it is cheaper, but we spend a lot of time inside due to the crappy weather. Reducing the cost of lighting was a major goal since my house is very light friendly and my wife isn't the best about turning off the lights when she leaves a room (she is getting better though).

If I can save $300 in a year in electric costs, then I am ahead of the game.

 

[Minjin]

The only incandescent bulbs I have are in the attic, basement, closets, and porch. All are used rarely with the exception of the porch light where an incandescent is still the best choice (due to temperature).

Kitchen is completely flurorescent. 9w fixture over the sink. 4 foot T8 in the ceiling Bathroom uses a fixture with a U shaped CFL. Workroom/computer room uses circline CFLs. Every other room uses table standing or floor standing lamps with fluorescent bulbs. I get the impression that you have more watts of lighting in one room than I have in the entire house...

Mark

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: Ned
Save by wearing layers and keeping the heat at 60.

Wife wouldn't like that. We keep the heat down to 66 at night and when we aren't home and 70 when we are home. Thank god for thermostats with automated timers on them.

 

[zoiks]

The korean store near my house has the fluorescent bulbs pretty cheap. 3 for 1.99. I bought a whole bunch of em and replaced all the bulbs in my house too. I still have like 5 boxes left over.

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: Minjin
The only incandescent bulbs I have are in the attic, basement, closets, and porch. All are used rarely with the exception of the porch light where an incandescent is still the best choice (due to temperature).

Kitchen is completely flurorescent. 9w fixture over the sink. 4 foot T8 in the ceiling Bathroom uses a fixture with a U shaped CFL. Workroom/computer room uses circline CFLs. Every other room uses table standing or floor standing lamps with fluorescent bulbs. I get the impression that you have more watts of lighting in one room than I have in the entire house...

Mark

As I said, the builder of this house must have worked for the electric company. Who in their right mind puts 10 60 watt lightbulbs in a bathroom? We have two such bathrooms. I like a vanity mirror, just takes up a ton of electricity when you are in there.

 

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by: zoiks
The korean store near my house has the fluorescent bulbs pretty cheap. 3 for 1.99. I bought a whole bunch of em and replaced all the bulbs in my house too. I still have like 5 boxes left over.

Thats awesome!

I don't think I could have done this without the gift cards. That shaved about $150 off the price of upgrading all my most used fixtures. CFLs aren't cheap though, but thats fine. I can handle it if they save me on energy costs like they say they do and last longer. Keeping the heat down in the summer months is also a helpful thing.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: mchammer
I see you live in Alabama, otherwise you would get killed on using electric for heat.

Mostly true. Depends on the build of the dwelling. I did the same in Kiev, Ukraine for three years. I lived in an old Soviet party leader apartment and the walls were 38 inches thick of pure brick construction. The reason I did it there was that the entire city (no absolutes, but mostly) heated with hot water radiators and didn't turn them on until late November. The Embassy issued the electric radiators and they worked so well that I decided to try them here. Wouldn't have worked in Ottawa! Maybe for June!

 

[mchammer]

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: Minjin
The only incandescent bulbs I have are in the attic, basement, closets, and porch. All are used rarely with the exception of the porch light where an incandescent is still the best choice (due to temperature).

Kitchen is completely flurorescent. 9w fixture over the sink. 4 foot T8 in the ceiling Bathroom uses a fixture with a U shaped CFL. Workroom/computer room uses circline CFLs. Every other room uses table standing or floor standing lamps with fluorescent bulbs. I get the impression that you have more watts of lighting in one room than I have in the entire house...

Mark

As I said, the builder of this house must have worked for the electric company. Who in their right mind puts 10 60 watt lightbulbs in a bathroom? We have two such bathrooms. I like a vanity mirror, just takes up a ton of electricity when you are in there.

It must as bright as the sun in there!

 

[Viper GTS]

High wattage CFL's are where it's at.

I have two bulbs drawing ~85W total putting out over 5K lumens in my office.

I still save a little money vs ordinary 60W bulbs but the result is a MUCH better lit room.

Only downside is I'm already accustomed to this light level & I want brighter.

Viper GTS

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: Condor
I did the big bulb switch about a year ago and it helped a lot. Something like 20 to 30% (guess) Now I am using electric heat (space heaters - radiator type) and stalling turning on the gas to see how much that costs/saves for the first month of winter as an experiment. I have a well insulated dwelling and live in a moderate climate so it is worth trying with gas high. Also have electric water heat. I think most energy used in a home is in hot water, environmental conditioning, and cooking.

That is what I am expecting. In the summer months with air conditioning, my bill was right around $130 or so. Winter it is cheaper, but we spend a lot of time inside due to the crappy weather. Reducing the cost of lighting was a major goal since my house is very light friendly and my wife isn't the best about turning off the lights when she leaves a room (she is getting better though).

If I can save $300 in a year in electric costs, then I am ahead of the game.

Funny! My wife too. No, she will not get better. The records of this house before we purchased was up to $600.00 per month for electric. I have no idea how the people we bought from did that, but my highest has been $127.00 a month and that was summer with guests. We live on a mountain brow and get a really good breeze. That means that for about six months of the year, we just open the windows. When we got the house, all of the windows were stuck closed and the previous owners had thick drapes and shades on all of the windows. I am still redoing them. Could replace them, but they are good windows with good storms.

 

[mchammer]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
High wattage CFL's are where it's at.

I have two bulbs drawing ~85W total putting out over 5K lumens in my office.

I still save a little money vs ordinary 60W bulbs but the result is a MUCH better lit room.

Only downside is I'm already accustomed to this light level & I want brighter.

Viper GTS

Where'd you get those, I have 4 150 watt lamps in my kitchen I would like to replace.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: zoiks
The korean store near my house has the fluorescent bulbs pretty cheap. 3 for 1.99. I bought a whole bunch of em and replaced all the bulbs in my house too. I still have like 5 boxes left over.

Big Lots was my bargin bin. Good prices, but not as good as yours. I've only had three die and am impressed with the life of the florescent bulbs too. Short and long term savings!

 

[mercanucaribe]

Great, now you have pale fluorescent light that will bring on depression.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Great, now you have pale fluorescent light that will bring on depression.

Actually, I had tried to brighten a house in Arlington, VA with halogens a few years back. I like the light here with the florescents better.

 

[Minjin]

Actually, incandescent vanity lights in the bathroom are a good idea, ASSUMING you use a fluorescent for the main light and only turn on the vanity light when its NEEDED. Which you will find is pretty rare. I use 3x60w GE Edison bulbs. If you're going to use incans, must as well make them good ones...

Mark

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Minjin
Actually, incandescent vanity lights in the bathroom are a good idea, ASSUMING you use a fluorescent for the main light and only turn on the vanity light when its NEEDED. Which you will find is pretty rare. I use 3x60w GE Edison bulbs. If you're going to use incans, must as well make them good ones...

Mark

For bathroom vanities I used fluorescents as well. I use daylight (yellowish) and softwhite (blueish) together for a good balance. I did a study on that in 1966 for production lines and the two colors combine for superior lighting. They do make the incandescent bulb replacements in both. You have to read the package really well though.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: mchammer
Where'd you get those, I have 4 150 watt lamps in my kitchen I would like to replace.

I picked them up at Home Depot IIRC. Around $20 apiece, 42W/27xx lumens outout.

http://bulbs.com/products/product.asp?page=products&class=600

Tons of options there, all the way up to 85W (5.5K lumens!) for standard sockets. Much more powerful ones are available for special fixtures (200W/12K lumens).

Viper GTS