Ban the Bulb

[greg334]

Just an FYI, the latest energy bill has set a date to stop marketing the incandescent light bulb.

I find this reasonable to a point, but the energy saved is kind of taken up in the production of the replacement bulb, the compact fluorescent bulb.

There is another problem, I have yet been able to keep a compact fluorescent bulb in the socket above my stove and can not use them in my fridge or oven for very obvious reasons. I can make a replacement for the fridge bulb but no way can I do that for the oven.

Also, like congress and digital TV, they didn't address a bigger issue - how do they expect us to dispose of the compact fluorescent bulb, are they doing anything to protect us with cheap knock offs from China that may have too much lead in the paint and finally are they going to exempt home owners from paying for hazmat cleanup if one of these bulbs breaks and spreads mercury all over? You know what has happened to lead paint and the cluster**** that it has been since that has become an issue.

I wonder how many compact fluorescent bulbs ALFORE has in his private planes and limos?

 

[Moot]

I installed the new compact florescent headlights on my van. The beam was wide and unfocused, long start up time in cold weather and they did not hold up well in a moving vehicle. 30 miles later I replaced them with traditional halogen incandescent headlights.

Instead of banning the bulb we should focus on banning the van.

 

[riverrat2000]

5 or 6 years ago I did the green thing and bought a lot of the compact fluorescent bulbs you know doing my part for the environment and all well spent a ton of money threw the last one out about 9 months later as it failed and of course GE would not replace a single one so if they are gonna do away with my incandescent bulbs you can bet i am gonna stock up on a lifetime supply of them before, Dam I get so tired of the tree huggers wanting this and that and the elected morons going along with them even though the technology isn't even avalible for a lot of it yet,look at mileage of the autos that congress just mandated must be improved even though if it is even possible will make the cost of buying a car triple in price its going to cost 50 grand ton the low end of the scale here shortly.
And remember PTE that CARB shoved down everyones throat and then a few years later figured out that it was cancer causing?
Being green is a good idea but you would think being smart about it should be a requirement.

 

[greg334]

Well riverrat2000, you may not know about this but there are a report made by that great mind Brian Williams did on LED lights. The report really played up the light technology and all that but failed to report that the company that they were talking about and praising was GE. The company that OWNS NBC. A few caught on to this form of propaganda and have really complained to NBC about the lack of disclosure in the report. I think when we look at the Global warming thing and take in account the money that is being made form these companies that are 'cashing' in on this mess by taking over the innovating companies, the money trail is all there is.

 

[theoldprof]

Here's another FYI: My front yard post light eats bulbs like crazy. Put a flourescent type bulb in it, and it has been working for months. It even works in the very cold weather.

:+ :+

 

[greg334]

I know what you mean, my father's porch light is the same way.

But here is an interesting study they did at U of M, I read it as a reference in another report so I am trying to find an original source.

They compared the energy used to make the three types of light sources, a regular old bulb, a CFL and an LED bulb.

Now they took in account everything from raw materials to use to disposal and found out of the three the best bulb that actually uses the least amount of energy is the good old bulb, followed by the LED bulb and running a very far last is the CFL.

It seems that even with recycling, the good old bulb has less energy consumed just in recycling it and recyclable content is almost 98%. The LED bulb has a 24% recyclable content but the CFL has a 60% recyclable content. The biggest issue with the CFL recycling is the mercury and the Phoserious coating, both are harmful to the environment.

 

[Moot]

There was a similar study comparing hybrid cars to regular gas engine cars. For the life of the vehicle, environmentally speaking, an SUV ranked much higher than a hybrid. Most of the hybrids environmental downfalls are from the environmental impacts of the battery; mining, disposal and short life span.

True they emit less emissions and use less gas but have a greater negative impact on the environment than an SUV. So if you own a hybrid you aren't as green as you think.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Symbolism over substance!

-A bore is a person who opens his mouth and puts his feats in it. - Henry Ford

 

[theoldprof]

Speaking of mercury. When we were kids we thought nothing of finding an old thermometer, breaking it open and watching the mercury break apart then mold itself back together in a saucer or something. We didn't know it, but we were playing with hazardous materials. We should all be dead by now. My grandkids were shocked to hear Gramma Suzi tell about the time she and her cousin were hopping freight trains when they were about eleven or twelve years old. This is Suzi who was a polio victim a couple years earlier. If any of that would happen today, the kids would be in juvie, and the parents in jail.

:+ :+

 

[greg334]

It amazes me that we have survived so long with an environment that was so hostile to us.

I like the one where the florescent light was busted in a school near here and they had to call in the Hazmat team to clean it up after the evacuated the entire school. It was all over the news a while ago. Another time, they found mercury in the storage area of a school used in the past for science experiments and they shut down the entire school for two days – all madding and all a waste of money and time.

 

[RichM]

As I type this I am being illumiated by a fluorescent bulb. Several months ago we changed all of the lamps that see frequent use to fluorescent 18 watt bulbs which supposedly give the same light as a conventional 60 watt bulb. We get better illumination and our electric bill has dropped by about $15.00 a month. Also the fluorescent bulbs to not give off the heat that incandesent bulbs do.

 

[Moot]

Rich, living in Florida I can see where heat from a light bulb could be a problem. Where I live people use 150 watt spot lights to read by just to take the chill away.

 

[RichM]

Well right now at 2120 the outside temp is a very pleasant 65 degrees. But don't forget about July, August and September when it never goes below 90 and the humidity is also 90.

I think overall the best weather on a 12 month basis is San Diego CA.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Hawaii. Avg is around 87.

-A bore is a person who opens his mouth and puts his feats in it. - Henry Ford