Posted on 01/20/2011 6:53:34 AM PST by SeekAndFind
California's utilities are spending $548 million over seven years to subsidize consumer purchases of compact fluorescent lamps. But the benefits are turning out to be less than expected.
No state has done more to promote compact fluorescent lamps than California. On Jan. 1, the state began phasing out sales of incandescent bulbs, one year ahead of the rest of the nation. A federal law that takes effect in January 2012 requires a 28% improvement in lighting efficiency for conventional bulbs in standard wattages. Compact fluorescent lamps are the logical substitute for traditional incandescent light bulbs, which won't be available in stores after 2014.
California utilities have used ratepayer funds to subsidize sales of more than 100 million of the bulbs since 2006. Most of them are made in China. It is part of a comprehensive state effort to use energy-efficiency techniques as a substitute for power production. Subsidized bulbs cost an average of $1.30 in California versus $4 for bulbs not carrying utility subsidies.
Anxious to see what ratepayers got for their money, state utility regulators have devoted millions of dollars in the past three years for evaluation reports and field studies. What California has learned, in a nutshell, is that it is hard to accurately predict and tricky to measure energy savings. It is also difficult to design incentive plans that reward-but don't overly reward-utilities for their promotional efforts.There are additional problems since it seems the state may have over-rewarded utilities with taxpayer money to promote a program that has failed to live up to the green dreams of its proponents.
Despite governments' effort to market them, CFLs are not necessarily better. Tests conducted by the London Telegraph found that using a single lamp to illuminate a room, an 11-watt CFL produced only 58% of the illumination of an equivalent 60-watt incandescent -- even after a 10-minute warm-up that consumers have found necessary for CFLs to reach their full brightness.
Lack of light isn't the only drawback. CFLs apparently are so dangerous, the European Commission has to warn consumers of the environmental hazards they pose. If one breaks, consumers are advised to air out rooms and avoid using vacuum cleaners to prevent exposure to the mercury in the bulbs.
The government, not even his Zero-ness, can create a market where one doesn’t naturally exist.
Who ever said a 11-watt CFL is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent is a liar. They are usually advertised at a 4-to-1 exchange, but from what I've seen a 3-to-1 is more accurate. Thus a 20-watt CFL would replace a 60-watt incandescent, but 11 watts won't come close.
A friend put in a set of 5 6500 Kelvin daylight CFLs in his dining room. They are painfully bright.
Wow. What a statement but no facts. We put CFLs in recessed lighting, in the bathroom and in our ceiling fans. Worked fine, lasted long time.
The only CFLs I consider acceptable are neodymium bulbs. They produce pleasant light. I no longer use conventional yellow bulbs. They look terrible in a room!
I think John Galt was wrong. He should have said:
“When you see the lights of CALIFORNIA go out, then you will know we have won.....”
I use CFL’s where I keep lights on for an extended period of time. They work great and last a long time.
My stockpile list continues to grow as everyday items will soon be VERBOTEN in what was once America:
Ammo (always!)
Gold & Silver
Cigarettes (for bartering)
Toilet Paper
Garden Seeds
Coffee
Sugar
Salt
Light bulbs
Yeast
Fish Oil
Lard
Toys guns for my future Grandsons
Ketchup
Plastic bags
Paper bags
Home lighting is a miniscule part of our power requirements ~ and in any case, EVERY SINGLE BULB has its own switch and is normally in an OFF state. Consequentially it is virtually impossible to gauge what incandescent light usage was and it's equally impossible to determine what benefit any switch to CFLs for home lighting could possibly deliver.
Having said that I cut my monthly power bill $50 by converting totally to CFLs some time back. My LCD TV whacked another $25 per month out of my bill ~ which actually surprised me!
Getting my eldest to move to his own home gave me $18 per month (from the hot water bill) and $33 per month from the reduced water usage!
Oh, happy day!
“an 11-watt CFL produced only 58% of the illumination of an equivalent 60-watt incandescent — “
Then 22-watts would give you more than the incandescent and save you over 65% in electricity!
“even after a 10-minute warm-up that consumers have found necessary for CFLs to reach their full brightness.”
Misleading. CFLs reach nominal brightness in just a few seconds.
AH ha ha! Went to Lowe’s yesterday and was going to see if they had any 100 watt bulbs. Nope! They had 95 watt bulbs! That’s 1 way around the stupid government ban! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m hoping that the spotty reliability is due to the infancy of the product. I’ve had several of these buggers burn out in a matter of weeks. I”ve had several that take at least a minute to warm up to 80%, then slowly it gets to 100% from there.
As a counter example, I have a pole light in front of the house that has burnt through bulbs at a horrific rate. But one of these new bulbs has not lasted over two years and is going strong. That is WAY better than any other bulb I had put in there prior.
I don’t put any of these new bulbs that are less than 75 watt equiv, unless it’s in a hallway, which doesn’t need much light, IMHO.
LCDs use CCFL backlighting. Present LED TVs are still LCD but with LED backlighting and could knock another $25 off you bill.
The argument isn’t that CFLs are totally bad, it’s that GOVERNMENT should NOT be FORCING them upon us!
I have CFLs in some spots and regular bulbs in others, depending upon the need. I don’t mind the CFLs in my kitchen ceiling fixture, and I have CFLs under the cabinets.
But - My upstairs hallway is very dark, so that NEEDS a nice, bright regular bulb in it; takes too long for the CFL to come up to brightness before I’m at the top of the stairway.
My reading lamp by the bed and by the couch are regular bulbs. I can’t read well by CFL light. But, if others can, more power to ‘em.
The CHOICE should be up to ME! What next? Deciding which CAR I can and cannot drive?
Oh, wait...they’re already working on that one, the b@stards! :)
There’s a use for CFL’s, for sure. Especially in my (formerly gas-lit) lamp in the front of my house. They run cooler, so they work better in a room that is smaller and the heat is an issue in the summer. There is no filament, so it works well in areas with vibration. That said, I always prefer having a CHOICE!!! Let the marketplace decide.
CFLs have lasted much longer in our ceiling fan lights than incandescent lights have. The vibration from the fans always killed the filaments early.
Yes. The ones over my basement stairs/back door entrance are on just about continuously in the winter and a lot of the time during the summer. It helps that I just need it for seeing where I'm going instead of reading or checking the color of anything, so the main complaints about them don't apply.
Ug. Florescent lights good; compact florescent lights bad.
Works great for computer screens and TVs although newer LED units are great, particularly with zoned backlighting instead of edge lit.
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