Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Light-bulb liars: What's lit up isn't a great idea
The Washington Times ^ | July 11, 2009 | Terence P. Jeffrey

Posted on 07/11/2009 4:24:31 AM PDT by Scanian

What if in 2025 a husband and wife decide they want to use old-fashioned incandescent bulbs in the sanctuary of their home? Will the light-bulb left defend their right to privacy and freedom of choice?

Don't count on it. Many Americans may not know it yet, but the federal government has already effectively banned the type of light bulb most of us use today.

In 2007, President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act, mandating that household light bulbs use incrementally less electricity starting in 2012 and culminating in 2020, when they must use less than 70 percent of the electricity conventional incandescent bulbs use today.

Compact fluorescent bulbs already meet this standard. The congressional authors of the law understood they were, in essence, phasing out incandescent bulbs.

They did this, they said, to help save the planet from overheating. But the light-bulb left did not weigh -- or care about -- the unintended consequences of their crusade. One such consequence could be an environment disaster in your family room.

You see, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury -- a bad, bad pollutant and health hazard that the Environmental Protection Agency has been sounding alarms about for years.

This put the EPA in a tough spot. On the one hand, it needed to applaud the politically correct use of fluorescent bulbs to save the planet. On the other hand, it needed to warn people that if they break a fluorescent bulb in their home it could poison the dog, the kid and the wall-to-wall rug. So, the EPA published blatantly self-contradictory instructions about what to do if mercury spills at your house.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-104 next last
To: raybbr

They are called variable voltage or REA light bulbs, and are commonly sold in hardware stores. In the right place they are no more expensive than normal lamps.

The filament has a little more tungsten, a little higher resistance, a little less brillance and does last longer. Another tip is to buy “clear” light bulbs, they last longer because the heat is not reflected back into the bulb by the white frosting. The problem with them is glare, but in the right light fixture it is not problem. They also heat the light fixture more since the heat is radiated out of the bulb.

There is a company in CA called Feit electric, they have all kinds of odd bulbs (from offshore) and are a good company. We have sold them for years. They sell the 130 volt lamps in maintainence packs (like 24 pk of common sizes) for commercial use. (cheaper) Just suggestions.


81 posted on 07/11/2009 7:54:18 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: Ditter

We are 60 miles North of Abilene.


82 posted on 07/11/2009 7:56:20 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil

OK I have passed through. .0)


83 posted on 07/11/2009 7:58:13 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 82 | View Replies]

To: Scanian

MADE IN CHINA


84 posted on 07/11/2009 8:04:39 AM PDT by onedoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ditter

By the way, we had to buy and feed a lot of hay this year to keep our cattle. Price was low, and very little pasture. Since the recent rains things are better, and a couple of our “water ways” have a great hay crop that we look forward to having cut soon.

We had a total crop failure on our “seed wheat” business this year, because of no rain in the fall and winter. Worst conditions since the early 1950’s.

Looks better now, and we recently sold some of our cattle. Have a calf crop about ready to go soon. We are pretty limited on cattle (small pasture), we primarily farm, not ranch.


85 posted on 07/11/2009 8:10:15 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil

We still have some grass in the black land parts but the sandy land is toast. My husband raises bucking stock, not beef cattle and his herd is relatively small (maybe 150 just guessing) so he hasn’t had to start feeding to keep them alive (yet). He spent a lot of money on grass seed, fertilizer and weed killer earlier this year and that has been pretty much a loss.


86 posted on 07/11/2009 8:22:18 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: Ditter

My father planted $9,000 of foundation seed last fall and did not harvest a grain of seed wheat. That is just seed cost. He had about 400 acres of that variety. We have about 3 sections of farm. Not a single acre was harvested. Collected the insurance, but it did little more than recover seed cost.

Some of our large customers were able to harvest from earlier planting than ours, and we let them use our storage bins to put theirs up. We have enough left over from previous year to plan ours, except for the foundation seed.

The seed licensing issue is an absolute mine field. Still not sure it is worth the effort, but it is the law.

Too many rules, make everything less competitive and more expensive. This is what big government does to us. Life should be simple and honest. It is neither.


87 posted on 07/11/2009 8:40:35 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil

He spent more than that and got nothing in return. My husbands cattle operation is a retirement hobby. It keeps him active and happy, there is no insurance. If he loses money it’s just gone. He is selling some heifers now because it is getting too big.


88 posted on 07/11/2009 8:46:32 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: raybbr
130 volt bulbs, as opposed to 120 volts, will last for years and years. They cost more but boy do they last.
Not sure if you're pulling my light cord there. Never heard of 130V bulbs.
He's not BSing you. My house was built in 2001 and all but one of the original 130V bulbs is still working. The blown one was in a fixture that was arching due to a bad socket.

I bought a supply of 130V of assorted wattages by finding out where the professional electricians go to get stuff. The 130V bulbs give slightly less light (candlepower) than the 120V bulbs, but the lifespan makes it worth it. Our local electricians warehouse charges 50 cents a bulb in lots of four and they are called "commercial service bulbs".

Trivia: Click And Clack (look it up) used traffic lights as a trivia question: Why are the green and red lights LED, but most cities/towns haven't changed the yellow lights from incandescent to LED?

Also, I have yet to find a CFL that performs well on New England winters outdoors or in and unheated garage. Anyone else?

Peet
89 posted on 07/11/2009 8:50:55 AM PDT by Peet (<- A.K.A. the Foundling)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: raybbr
I am only pulling your light cord to educate you. Yes there is a 130volt bulb and yes it last a long time. I have only found them at high end hardware stores.

There is some kind of a thingey that you can put into the socket and then screw the bulb into it, forget what they were called. I used those on my front porch lights, left them on for 24 hours a day and the bulbs lasted 8 years.
(I am not joking) The light is dimmed but 8 years? that's fantastic!

Go to Bering Hardware in Houston and ask for that thingey, they are used to women like me asking for stuff like that. People there know everything, great store.

90 posted on 07/11/2009 9:02:28 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

Yes I have heard about your global cooling, wish we could get a little of it. An artist friend of mine when to Maine to paint for 2 weeks, only had 4 days without rain and with a little sun.


91 posted on 07/11/2009 9:06:00 AM PDT by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Peet
Also, I have yet to find a CFL that performs well on New England winters outdoors or in and unheated garage. Anyone else?

I have four that have been there for over two years. I'll check the brand.

Thanks for the info on the 130V lamps. I have been doing industrial electrical repair for thirty years and didn't know about them.

A higher voltage rating means they are using less than rated current at 120V. That's why there is less light and they last longer.

92 posted on 07/11/2009 9:23:12 AM PDT by raybbr (It's going to get a lot worse now that the anchor babies are voting!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck
HiTech RedNeck wrote:

Depends on where they go. In a porch light controlled by nothing but a dusk to dawn photo eye, they will last for over a year.

CFL LIGHTBULBS WITH THEIR ELECTRONIC BALLASTS WILL NOT WORK WITH THE MOST COMMON MOTION SENSORS SWITCHES YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOME!

93 posted on 07/11/2009 9:41:23 AM PDT by Rodamala
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil

And no poison!!


94 posted on 07/11/2009 9:59:56 AM PDT by JLLH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

I get packs of 4 for 85 cents to $1.00, so 22 cents each is correct. CFL bulbs cost me more than $1.00 each


95 posted on 07/11/2009 10:09:46 AM PDT by packrat35 (Stimulus = Kenyan term meaning "pissing away your future")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: JLLH

Yes, I think it has promise.

Earlier comments mentioned efficiency. The issue is not energy efficiency, they are low power, but they are low output level.

LED’s are reversed biased diodes that emit light. The current they draw is based on the knee voltage drop across the diode junction. You can gain output by adding LED or making larger LED’s. Some of the larger LED’s are still just a packaging trick not an enlarged junction.

The life of the LED’s is very very long. Possibly up to 150,000 hours.


96 posted on 07/11/2009 10:17:20 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil

I plan to seriously stock up on incandescents, but if/when forced to choose one of the newer bulbs, we will go LED. I won’t have the mercury poison bulbs in my home.


97 posted on 07/11/2009 10:19:10 AM PDT by JLLH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: Peet
Also, I have yet to find a CFL that performs well on New England winters outdoors or in and unheated garage. Anyone else?

The brand I have are GE 26 watt CFL's. They have been there for almost two years. They are a little pricier but worth it.

98 posted on 07/11/2009 11:26:21 AM PDT by raybbr (It's going to get a lot worse now that the anchor babies are voting!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil
The life of the LED’s is very very long. Possibly up to 150,000 hours.

Which is why they will resist producing them for general lighting applications. No planned obsolescence.

99 posted on 07/11/2009 11:28:11 AM PDT by raybbr (It's going to get a lot worse now that the anchor babies are voting!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: raybbr

I think the light level is the main issue at this time, and cost, but I do not understand why they should be so expensive because LED’s are not.

They are essentially a low voltage DC device.


100 posted on 07/11/2009 11:33:44 AM PDT by Texas Fossil (The last time I looked, this is still Texas where I live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-104 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson