Bulbs Save Energy By Not Working

News and Observer ^ | 3/28/09 | Leora Broydo Vestel

[AT7Saluki]

It sounds like such a simple thing: Buy some new light bulbs, screw them in, save the planet. But a lot of people are finding the new compact fluorescent bulbs anything but simple. Consumers who are trying them say they sometimes fail to work, or wear out early. At best, people discover that using the bulbs requires learning a long list of dos and don’ts.

Take the case of Karen Zuercher and her husband, in San Francisco. Inspired by watching the movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” they decided to swap nearly every incandescent bulb in their home for energy-saving compact fluorescents.

Instead of having a satisfying green moment, however, they wound up coping with a mess. “Here’s my sad collection of bulbs that didn’t work, ” Zuercher said the other day as she pulled a cardboard box containing defunct bulbs from her laundry shelf.

[AT7Saluki]

I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Good thing we're getting rid of those pesky incandescents.

[BigFinn]

Candles will be the next solutions. Welcome to the second round of the Dark Ages.

[sionnsar]

Huh. We’ve been using them for years with very few (2? 3?) failures.

[Kansas58]

They really stink for outside use.
If they get cold, even if protected from moisture, they do not work very well at all.

Any chance we can use the light bulb issue, politically?

This is something that the public will understand.

[ponygirl]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[ChicagoConservative27]

Guess the wizards of smart never thought about all that mercury in the ground after throwing out the bulbs. I for one am stocking up on regular bulbs, cause in 2012 they are banned.

[sionnsar]

Candles will be the next solutions. Welcome to the second round of the Dark Ages.

You are correct. The best candles were made from spermaceti -- far better than tallow or beeswax. But we don't have enough whales; that industry effectively died in 1871.

[Goldsborough]

I'm experimenting with one in a floor lamp. The light it throws is less than impressive and the spectrum cast is abominable.

I'm thinking there will be a grey/black market in incandescents one day soon.

[elfman2]

I presume that they do save money when running, but that’s largely eaten up by having to replace them at about the same frequency as incandescents (despite claims of greater longevity) and at a much greater expense.

[al baby]

Im a high end handyman in the OC compact bulbs fail at an amazing rate some right out of the box and they have a lag time on them to full output I take a sharpie and put the date on them some have failed in less than 2 months some have been going for a couple of years most of the time you get about a year out of them about on par with incandescent

As far as energy usage clients have not seen a dramatic drop in there bill regardless of rate hikes

[Doohickey]

Can you post a link that isn't a PDF?

Inspired by watching the movie “An Inconvenient Truth,”...

There really is a sucker born every minute, isn't there?

[Mygirlsmom]

“Here’s my sad collection of bulbs that didn’t work, ” Zuercher said the other day as she pulled a cardboard box containing defunct bulbs from her laundry shelf.

She better hope that they don't get accidentally knocked off that shelf or she will need a hazmat crew.

[dalereed]

All the earth loving environmentalists just make more energy available for me to use!

As long as I pay for it i’ll use all that I desire!

[Kansas58]

I can’t wait:

ATF will become:

ATFLB

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Light Bulbs!

[mikrofon]

Instead of having a satisfying green moment, however, they wound up coping with a mess

Sounds like a couple of dim bulbs to me...

[sionnsar]

They really stink for outside use. If they get cold, even if protected from moisture, they do not work very well at all.

Granted it doesn't get very cold here (not much below freezing and not for long) though it's very wet (Seattle) but I used an indoor flood 24/7 outside no problem. And the woodshed has had one for 7 or 8 years now -- the first I installed (because of its poor light quality; newer ones are better).

[alice_in_bubbaland]

A former tenant had these stupid bulbs in all the light fixtures, we removed them. They are ugly and took forever to light to the correct wattage. Besides, I don’t want to call hazmat every time a tenant breaks one.

[Brilliant]

This one of those things that California should mandate before the US government even thinks about it. Make the Californians suffer from their foolishness...

[sionnsar]

Any chance we can use the light bulb issue, politically?

I vaguely recall reading a federal bill that withdrew the mandate. You might want to check...

[sionnsar]

by having to replace them at about the same frequency as incandescents (despite claims of greater longevity)

Not my experience at all.