Conserving Energy in the Home - Page 2 - Electronic Circuits Projects Diagrams Free

transistor495 · 3rd September 2009, 05:33 PM

Regular 40W fluorescent tube using an electronic ballast is still my favorite

. More natural light. Looking on to a CFL is terrible.

Here's a website that tells to use motion sensor activated CFL's for indoor lighting and photo-cell operated for outdoors(may not be easy to implement all)
Saving Electricity: How to Save Electricity

I heard old fashioned incandescent bulbs are banned in Europe. That's a good decision anyway. Wonder how they survived till now! May be because of there's no any low cost alternative.

**Nigel Goodwin** · 3rd September 2009, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by transistor495

I heard old fashioned incandescent bulbs are banned in Europe.

No, that's totally untrue - in Europe the news services said that they are banned in Australia

**Preher TV** · 3rd September 2009, 08:26 PM

man I guess I am lucky, my CFLs last a long time, I have only replaced 2 since I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my house with CFLs 2.5 years ago. They have great light output. Know one in my house had ever noticed a difference when I changed them out, my wifes only complaint is now most of the diffusers won't fit onto the light kits with the CFL bulbs, pretty ugly , but efficiency is more important than being aesthetic.

CFLs are not some mysterious new light source people have been tricked into buying, they are old news. And it is fact they are more efficient, they have a higher lumen output per watt than an incandescent it's a fact, incadescent bulbs are better heaters than lights.CFLs are more efficient If you don't buy the cheapest crappiest ones you can find at the 99 cent store, same goes for most things, you get what you pay for.

To each his own but I like my CFLs and look forward to replacing them with LED lighting in the future.

tcmtech · 3rd September 2009, 08:38 PM

I'm looking forward to when the 200 Watt driven (1000 watt equivalent) CFL's get down to a more reasonable price! I may even give the metal halides in the shop the boot then!
My 78 watt CFL (350 equivalent) one is super!

**Nigel Goodwin** · 3rd September 2009, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Preher TV

man I guess I am lucky, my CFLs last a long time, I have only replaced 2 since I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my house with CFLs 2.5 years ago.

Two in 2.5 years is really bad - I've replaced one, and that was over ten years old.

**Preher TV** · 3rd September 2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Two in 2.5 years is really bad - I've replaced one, and that was over ten years old.

Wow!! That's sweet,

....I beleive the only reason the 2 crapped out was because it was also the only ones that were some crappy ones my mother in law gave us that she purchaced at the 99 cent store..

..

3v0 · 3rd September 2009, 11:24 PM

I used a lot of regular FL lights on aquariums. I only ran the bulbs about a year because the light output had dropped off.

The phosphors on any FL lamp tube dim with age. I wonder if some of the still bright after years of operation is wishful thinking.

3v0

tcmtech · 3rd September 2009, 11:36 PM

I dont know of any light source that doesn't grow dim after enough running hours.
For me I dont replace mine until the last photon has served its purpose!

Same with vehicle tires. The worn ones get moved to less critical applications like a trailer then ran until the last foot of distance is gotten out of them.
And the same with the vehicles the tires were on too. The scrap yard has owned all but one of my vehicles after me.

**Nigel Goodwin** · 4th September 2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3v0

I used a lot of regular FL lights on aquariums. I only ran the bulbs about a year because the light output had dropped off.

The phosphors on any FL lamp tube dim with age. I wonder if some of the still bright after years of operation is wishful thinking.

As do all lights, it's a question of how fast they dim, and how far is acceptable.

ericgibbs · 4th September 2009, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I suggest you sort out your duff mains then

- no problems in the UK with CCFL's - I've only ever bought two (one of which as I mentioned has failed, but after MANY years). All my others have been free, I had some more free ones arrive in the post the other week.

hi,
Ive had a number of CFL fail earlier than the claimed life on the box.

Most failures are in the lower wattage range 3W thru 8W.
They either fail to light or the light output reduces over a period of a few weeks.
The higher rated CFL's say 11W thru 20W give a longer/better performance.
Usage is indoor security lighting.

Now in the UK, the 'tungsten' lamp will no longer be allowed to be restocked by shops.. so I will have to replace my dimmer switches!!!

Also there are no 'clear' guide lines in what to do with dead CFL's.???

Mr RB · 4th September 2009, 10:13 AM

I'm amazed at the life you are getting from your CFLs. Mine die a nasty death usually with smoke. Like I said when opened they are just cooked, dark PCB etc. Ok so i live in the hot tropics of Australia where the nights are as hot as the day and use the lights all night long but even the upside down CFL in the light stand (so the heat rises away from it, the best option) blows every couple of months.

In my dad's house he had to get longer bodied CFL to run in his kitchen drop lights which are recessed slightly into the ceiling because the short bodies ones sit up in the recess and cook themselves in a week or less. He has 6 CFL in his dining setting each is open to the air but under a little glass shade like an inverted cone, and every couple of weeks when we go to visit I have to replace one of them because he's elderly with balance issues and doesn't want to risk falling from chairs etc. He believes in the whole idea of saving the energy and doing the right thing etc so he keeps buying more CFLs and I keep changing them for him.

It's been "LAW" here for a while restricting sales of incandescent bulbs and once that came in the quality of CFLs dropped immensely. Even on new ones you can see areas of poor phosphor coverage in the tubes etc and sometimes there are dead ones new (or that don't light up properly) in the packets of 4 and 6. I'm not kidding about the quality.

Bryan, you're probably lucky you bought some CFL in the old days and live where its cool so they last. I remember the CFLs we used in the business premises down south usually lasted 6 months or more so I think the old ones might be better than the new crap.

As for the USA and England wait until your legislature forces CFLs on you with no choice, (happening in England already huh) the quality will drop immensely and you may think do what I did... Order a great big carton of 100w incandescents...

**bryan1** · 4th September 2009, 11:23 AM

Hi Roman I knew you lived in Oz but where had me baffled. One guess your above the 22 degree line so yes cfl's do die from high temps. I had the same problem in my house in Port Hedland, where cfls when turned on where the ambient temp was above 40 C they were flicking at best. The old bulbs worked fine so I didn't bother with them untill I bought the farm in the Adelaide Hills and we are off the grid. I have replaced every light fitting with cfl's and sofar none have died. Well I reckon if guys have failures blame it on the grid with wild voltage fluctuating on their service.

I have seen 99c cfl's and buy did buy the $3 ones at coles of course.

Cheers Bryan, as another pale ale slides down the gullet........

chemelec · 9th September 2009, 04:38 PM

Constantly turning Cfl's, On and Off, for Short periods of use Will cause them to fail.
They last longer when left on Continuous.
So they are not suitable in bath rooms, hallways or other areas that require short periods of lighting. And the manufacturers should tell you this on the package, but they don't.
[B}Also, Voltage Spikes in the line will also cause them to fail, Very Quickly.[/B]

The Efficiency ratings refer ONLY to Light Output.
So in the winter months, you will need to use more home Heating, as you have now lost that heat from your incandescent Bulbs.
This actually reduces the cost saving to about 3% overall.
But they are better efficiency in the Summer.

Cfl's are extremely poluting to the enviroment, unless disposed of to a Re-cycling program. And very few people do that with these lights.

The Light Ouput of Cfl's is a quite narrow bandwidth of visable light, giving the impression of Equil brightness to incandescent bulbs to the spectrum of your eyes.
They are also high output Ultra Violet, And at Close range they can cause a sunburn to your skin and damage your eyes also.

In 2 years, I have had 3 failures, But after complaining a lot, I got Free Replacements from the 5 year guartantee on these bulbs.
(I use these Cfl's in about 80% of my house)

**Nigel Goodwin** · 9th September 2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chemelec

Constantly turning Cfl's, On and Off, for Short periods of use Will cause them to fail.
They last longer when left on Continuous.
So they are not suitable in bath rooms, hallways or other areas that require short periods of lighting.

I've got them in the bathroom, and on the stairs, never had one fail - the bathroom must be six years or so now?.

Just done a quick 'mental count', my entire house lighting is:

8 x CFL's
4 x flourescent tubes
5 x incandescent lamps

tcmtech · 9th September 2009, 05:41 PM

I've got CFL's in my bathroom as well, my main kitchen lights and my boiler room in my shop. They all get turned on and off many times a day and all are at least 3 - 4 years old.

The cheap and early models have short life spans when in high cycling applications but the latest good quality ones dont seem to be having any problems so far.

The ones I have are made by Fiete, Sylvania, and Transport & Distribution Inc of China.
All three brands have proven reliable for me when used as replacements for standard incandescents in normal applications.

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3rd September 2009, 05:33 PM	#16
transistor495	Regular 40W fluorescent tube using an electronic ballast is still my favorite . More natural light. Looking on to a CFL is terrible. Here's a website that tells to use motion sensor activated CFL's for indoor lighting and photo-cell operated for outdoors(may not be easy to implement all) Saving Electricity: How to Save Electricity I heard old fashioned incandescent bulbs are banned in Europe. That's a good decision anyway. Wonder how they survived till now! May be because of there's no any low cost alternative.

3rd September 2009, 08:26 PM	#18
Preher TV	man I guess I am lucky, my CFLs last a long time, I have only replaced 2 since I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my house with CFLs 2.5 years ago. They have great light output. Know one in my house had ever noticed a difference when I changed them out, my wifes only complaint is now most of the diffusers won't fit onto the light kits with the CFL bulbs, pretty ugly , but efficiency is more important than being aesthetic. CFLs are not some mysterious new light source people have been tricked into buying, they are old news. And it is fact they are more efficient, they have a higher lumen output per watt than an incandescent it's a fact, incadescent bulbs are better heaters than lights.CFLs are more efficient If you don't buy the cheapest crappiest ones you can find at the 99 cent store, same goes for most things, you get what you pay for. To each his own but I like my CFLs and look forward to replacing them with LED lighting in the future. __________________ PREHER TV Medford,OR 97501 (541)772-0326 preher-tech.com Last edited by Preher TV; 3rd September 2009 at 08:26 PM.

3rd September 2009, 08:38 PM	#19
tcmtech	I'm looking forward to when the 200 Watt driven (1000 watt equivalent) CFL's get down to a more reasonable price! I may even give the metal halides in the shop the boot then! My 78 watt CFL (350 equivalent) one is super! __________________ "Issue a general safety warning. Then look the other way and allow stupidity the chance to eliminate itself." -- tcmtech "Those who can, Will. Those who can't, will achieve positions of power over those who can and then promptly stop them." -- tcmtech "Your impossibility may just be my day to day routine." -- tcmtech

3rd September 2009, 11:24 PM	#22
3v0	I used a lot of regular FL lights on aquariums. I only ran the bulbs about a year because the light output had dropped off. The phosphors on any FL lamp tube dim with age. I wonder if some of the still bright after years of operation is wishful thinking. 3v0 __________________ Please post questions to the forums. PM's are for personal communication. BCHS/3v0's Tutorials Junebug USB PIC programmer kit., USB Bit Whacker, The 15 Minute Printed Circuit Board! (+drill time)

3rd September 2009, 11:36 PM	#23
tcmtech	I dont know of any light source that doesn't grow dim after enough running hours. For me I dont replace mine until the last photon has served its purpose! Same with vehicle tires. The worn ones get moved to less critical applications like a trailer then ran until the last foot of distance is gotten out of them. And the same with the vehicles the tires were on too. The scrap yard has owned all but one of my vehicles after me. __________________ "Issue a general safety warning. Then look the other way and allow stupidity the chance to eliminate itself." -- tcmtech "Those who can, Will. Those who can't, will achieve positions of power over those who can and then promptly stop them." -- tcmtech "Your impossibility may just be my day to day routine." -- tcmtech

4th September 2009, 10:13 AM	#26
Mr RB	I'm amazed at the life you are getting from your CFLs. Mine die a nasty death usually with smoke. Like I said when opened they are just cooked, dark PCB etc. Ok so i live in the hot tropics of Australia where the nights are as hot as the day and use the lights all night long but even the upside down CFL in the light stand (so the heat rises away from it, the best option) blows every couple of months. In my dad's house he had to get longer bodied CFL to run in his kitchen drop lights which are recessed slightly into the ceiling because the short bodies ones sit up in the recess and cook themselves in a week or less. He has 6 CFL in his dining setting each is open to the air but under a little glass shade like an inverted cone, and every couple of weeks when we go to visit I have to replace one of them because he's elderly with balance issues and doesn't want to risk falling from chairs etc. He believes in the whole idea of saving the energy and doing the right thing etc so he keeps buying more CFLs and I keep changing them for him. It's been "LAW" here for a while restricting sales of incandescent bulbs and once that came in the quality of CFLs dropped immensely. Even on new ones you can see areas of poor phosphor coverage in the tubes etc and sometimes there are dead ones new (or that don't light up properly) in the packets of 4 and 6. I'm not kidding about the quality. Bryan, you're probably lucky you bought some CFL in the old days and live where its cool so they last. I remember the CFLs we used in the business premises down south usually lasted 6 months or more so I think the old ones might be better than the new crap. As for the USA and England wait until your legislature forces CFLs on you with no choice, (happening in England already huh) the quality will drop immensely and you may think do what I did... Order a great big carton of 100w incandescents...

4th September 2009, 11:23 AM	#27
bryan1	Hi Roman I knew you lived in Oz but where had me baffled. One guess your above the 22 degree line so yes cfl's do die from high temps. I had the same problem in my house in Port Hedland, where cfls when turned on where the ambient temp was above 40 C they were flicking at best. The old bulbs worked fine so I didn't bother with them untill I bought the farm in the Adelaide Hills and we are off the grid. I have replaced every light fitting with cfl's and sofar none have died. Well I reckon if guys have failures blame it on the grid with wild voltage fluctuating on their service. I have seen 99c cfl's and buy did buy the $3 ones at coles of course. Cheers Bryan, as another pale ale slides down the gullet........ __________________ " The only way to avoid human error is to avoid the use of humans"

9th September 2009, 04:38 PM	#28
chemelec	Constantly turning Cfl's, On and Off, for Short periods of use Will cause them to fail. They last longer when left on Continuous. So they are not suitable in bath rooms, hallways or other areas that require short periods of lighting. And the manufacturers should tell you this on the package, but they don't. [B}Also, Voltage Spikes in the line will also cause them to fail, Very Quickly.[/B] The Efficiency ratings refer ONLY to Light Output. So in the winter months, you will need to use more home Heating, as you have now lost that heat from your incandescent Bulbs. This actually reduces the cost saving to about 3% overall. But they are better efficiency in the Summer. Cfl's are extremely poluting to the enviroment, unless disposed of to a Re-cycling program. And very few people do that with these lights. The Light Ouput of Cfl's is a quite narrow bandwidth of visable light, giving the impression of Equil brightness to incandescent bulbs to the spectrum of your eyes. They are also high output Ultra Violet, And at Close range they can cause a sunburn to your skin and damage your eyes also. In 2 years, I have had 3 failures, But after complaining a lot, I got Free Replacements from the 5 year guartantee on these bulbs. (I use these Cfl's in about 80% of my house) __________________ I No Longer accept Private Messages on here. All Emails to me Must Contain the Word \"Electronic\" in the \"Subject Line\" or they go Directly to my Junk Mail Folder. Email me at: chemelec@hotmail.com Website: http://www3.telus.net/chemelec

9th September 2009, 05:41 PM	#30
tcmtech	I've got CFL's in my bathroom as well, my main kitchen lights and my boiler room in my shop. They all get turned on and off many times a day and all are at least 3 - 4 years old. The cheap and early models have short life spans when in high cycling applications but the latest good quality ones dont seem to be having any problems so far. The ones I have are made by Fiete, Sylvania, and Transport & Distribution Inc of China. All three brands have proven reliable for me when used as replacements for standard incandescents in normal applications. __________________ "Issue a general safety warning. Then look the other way and allow stupidity the chance to eliminate itself." -- tcmtech "Those who can, Will. Those who can't, will achieve positions of power over those who can and then promptly stop them." -- tcmtech "Your impossibility may just be my day to day routine." -- tcmtech