Power-Sipping Bulbs Get Backing From Wal-Mart

new york times ^ | 1/2/07 | MICHAEL BARBARO

[mathprof]

As a way to cut energy use, it could not be simpler. Unscrew a light bulb that uses a lot of electricity and replace it with one that uses much less.

While it sounds like a promising idea, it turns out that the long-lasting, swirl-shaped light bulbs known as compact fluorescent lamps are to the nation’s energy problem what vegetables are to its obesity epidemic: a near perfect answer, if only Americans could be persuaded to swallow them.

But now Wal-Mart Stores, the giant discount retailer, is determined to push them into at least 100 million homes. And its ambitions extend even further, spurred by a sweeping commitment from its chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., to reduce energy use across the country, a move that could also improve Wal-Mart’s appeal to the more affluent consumers the chain must win over to keep growing in the United States.

“The environment,” Mr. Scott said, “is begging for the Wal-Mart business model.”

It is the environmental movement’s dream: America’s biggest company, legendary for its salesmanship and influence with suppliers, encouraging 200 million shoppers to save energy.

For all its power in retailing, though, Wal-Mart is meeting plenty of resistance — from light-bulb makers, competitors and consumers....

A compact fluorescent has clear advantages over the widely used incandescent light — it uses 75 percent less electricity, lasts 10 times longer, produces 450 pounds fewer greenhouse gases from power plants and saves consumers $30 over the life of each bulb. But it is eight times as expensive as a traditional bulb, gives off a harsher light and has a peculiar appearance.

As a result, the bulbs have languished on store shelves for a quarter century; only 6 percent of households use the bulbs today.

[Right Wing Assault]

So I buy ten bulbs at eight dollars = $80.

Haven't you read ANY of these posts? They aren't $8. I haven't seen them that high in about 5 years. Numerous people have mentioned that you can get them for a couple bucks or even less.

[Not A Snowbird]

Hmm... power is fluctuating.

[MeanWestTexan]

"Car lights serve the first purpose."

Hardly. There is a reason there are lights at major intersections, etc. Even new halogen lights don't cast the "general" light streets lights give.

They basically serve to tell other cars where you are -- not actually light up the road.

Go drive in West Texas wild and watch a 4 way stop sneak up on you.

There is a lot of science that goes into street lights and already not a lot of wasted money or effort.

[TruthWillWin]

I started using them in my outside lamp because it burns all evening, and I replace it about once a year instead of 4 times a year, still a lot but with the energy costs I'm saving, plus not having to replace the bulb that often (which involves getting out a stepstool) I come out ahead.

Same here. Had outside floods operating on photcells that needed to be replaced in about every 10 months. Put in the new energy saving florescent floods 5 years ago, they are still burning. Saved a ton with those bulbs, electric consumption and replacement cost.

[elmer fudd]

The CFBs have several flaws. 1. long warm-up period (sometimes as long as a minute). 2. thay can't be used in glass enclosed fixtures without reducing their life expectancy to minutes. 3. somewhat harsh lighting 4. they don't work well in the cold. 5. the capability to dim (sometimes solved by the 15 dollar 3-way versions that are difficult to find anywhere). 6. expensive Once these flaws get attacked people might actually use the bulbs. (by the way - all fluorescent bulbs contain mercury.)

I've been using them in glass enclosed fixtures and they have had a lifespan of years not minutes.

[Dan Evans]

White LEDs, like cheap CF bulbs, are lacking in red light so they give a fairly cool light. Like fluorescent lights most types of white LEDs start with a UV source and use a phosphor to convert it to visible light. But there are warmer versions of both CF and LED lamps that don't have this blue problem.

LEDs are interesting because they promise to be much more efficient than florescent with none of the disadvantages. They turn on instantly. They aren't affected by temperature. Some types are dimmable. (They are even more energy efficient at low power). They are nearly point-source so they can be easily focused for accent lighting or auto headlamps.

Super efficient versions have been demonstrated in the lab but it takes about a billion bucks to start up a semiconductor plant so I don't expect to see low priced product for a few years.

[TruthWillWin]

Saw a 3 pack of 60 watters (used 13 watts) free at Home Depot last week after rebate.

[Old Professer]

I tried them in my hallway where the three-way switches are about 15 feet apart; the hallway is too dimly lighted for safe negotiation.

I'm so cheap I took them back to the store for a refund.

[Dan Evans]

It's nice to have choices. What a great country! Let's keep it that way.

Yes. I did not like hearing that government officials are trying to strong-arm Walmart into pushing more CFs.

[Misterioso]

I rent my chickens.

[Old Professer]

And they won't work properly unless surrounded by free air.

Put a globe over them and they will overheat the ballast (electronics).

[kitkat]

***I bought several four packs of varying wattages at Home Depot for around $12 each.***

Now I'm really confused. Four bulbs in a pack for $12 equals $3 each. Incandescent bulbs cost about $1 a pack of four, or twenty-five cents each. That makes the fluorescent bulbs twelve times higher than incandescent. The article says eights times higher. What am I missing?

[CharlesWayneCT]

a "three-way" switch is indistinguishable from a "two-way" switch from the point of view of the bulb.


You also are supposed to not use these with photocells, but I've used one outside without a problem with a photocell. I guess it depends how the photocell provides power to the light bulb. The bulbs expect full voltage with the correct 60hz waveform.

[NonValueAdded]

greedy tort lawyers, how redundant!!! :)

[JoeGar]

only 6 percent of households use the bulbs today

If they would fit my overhead ceiling fixtures, I would buy them. They are too big. I can only use them in my outdoor lights.

[CarrotAndStick]

CFLs now come in both white-light, and ones with a slightly altered phospor coating, to produce the familiar hue of yellowish light that incandescent lights give off. Both bulbs look white when switched off

[sionnsar]

Hmm... power is fluctuating.

Uh-oh. Oddly there has been no flicker here, and we ALWAYS suffer a lot of flickering in this part of Redmond when there's any wind at all. Soon after moving into this building, the company bought UPSes for all computers.

But I look at all the trees around here that look ready to come down... brrr.

[listenhillary]

A simple solution for saving electricity: cut the nations street lights in half. Why do we really need all this light pollution?? Secondary benefit -- see the stars clearly on a cloudless night.

Hear Hear!!!

At least have LED (instant on) street lights that would only come on after 10pm if infrared sensor is triggered. Another horrible waste is lighting empty parking lots of malls and stores.

(not an envirowhacko, but I want to see the middle east drown in oil)

[Last Laugh]

OK Thanks. I have dimmers in every bedroom, the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room. Guess I won't be able to save with these.

[CarrotAndStick]

Colors

A photograph (see earlier post) of various light bulbs illustrates the effect of color temperature differencesCFLs are produced in varying shades of white:

"Warm white" or "Soft white" (2700 K - 3000 K) provides a light very similar to that of an incandescent bulb, somewhat yellow in appearance;
"White", "Bright White", or "Medium White" (3500 K) bulbs produce a yellowish-white light, whiter than an incandescent bulb still but on the warm side;
"Cool white" (4100 K) bulbs emit more of a pure white tone; and
"Daylight" (5000 K - 6500 K) is slightly bluish-white.
The "K" denotes the correlated color temperature in kelvins. Color temperature is a quantitative measure. The higher the number, the “cooler”, i.e., bluer, the shade. Color names associated with a particular color temperature are not standardized for modern CFLs and other triphosphor lamps like they were for the older style halophosphate fluorescent lamps. Variations and inconsistencies exist among manufacturers. For example, Sylvania's Daylight CFLs have a color temperature of 3500 K, while most other bulbs with a "daylight" label have color temperatures of at least 5000 K. Some vendors fail to include the kelvin value on the package, but this is beginning to improve now that the ENERGY STAR Criteria for CFLs is expected to require such labeling in its 4.0 revision.