Lightbulbs
Friday 16th March, 2007 15:30 Comments: 7
There's a lot of talk about plans to phase out the traditional lightbulb by 2011 in favour of energy-saving bulbs. I don't have a problem with wanting to save energy, but I do think that there are better ways to reduce the amount of electricity that people use across the country. Anyway, the idea is we'll switch to fluorescent lights, which are meant to last 5x longer (and are 10x the price, although the idea is its an investment as they use less power). But by the time it's actually phased out in 2011, I think LED lighting will be a viable alternative.
LEDs are better than fluorescent lights because:
LEDs are better than fluorescent lights because:
- You can dim them (fluorescent lights don't work with dimmer switches)
- They're even more efficient (fluorescents hit 70 lumens per watt; incandescents max out at 15; but LEDs have been produced that emit roughly 100 lumens per watt and are expected to reach 145 lumen per watt by 2008)
- They last longer (halogen lamps run for about 2,000 hours; incandescent lamps are about half that; LED lights are roughly 50,000-100,000 hours; fluorescent lamps typically last 8,000-15,000 hours as the lifespan is related to the number of times it is turned on - around 6,000 to 7,000 starts)
- They're directional (good for replacing halogen spotlights, as a 6-watt array of LEDs can produce light equivalent to a 20-watt halogen bulb)
- With a diffuser, you can make the light omni-directional
- They don't flicker
- With quantum dots, they can produce a warm natural light
Yamahito - Monday 19th March, 2007 09:17 You missed one of the most important benefits:
Instant On.
Instant On.
Important?? A benefit yes, but unless you have a need for urgent lighting, I wouldn't rate it as important. You get used to it after a while. I suppose in some ways it may even be better for you, especially if getting up in the morning or at night in a totally dark room. There was a study saying if you went to the toilet at night, the bright light would impinge upon your ability to go back to sleep.
I have enough trouble sleeping anyway (although my excuse for this late night post is that I only just got back from my trip to Scotland for work). Instant on is good, I get annoyed when some of the fluorescent tubes flicker until they eventually start up.
I was impressed to see that the Holiday Inn Express I was staying in had what appeared to be LED lights (with a 'bubbly' diffuser) as reading lights on the bed (I'm fairly sure the one in Bedford has normal bright reading lights, as I recall them getting insanely hot - I'll let them off because Bedford had a nice curry and the barmaid was cute). The lights in the bath were clearly halogen, from the intense heat, but the rest of the room was lit with fluorescents. Very energy efficient. I was very dissapointed to discover the wireless internet access was nowhere to be seen, and the LAN connection gave me an IP address, gateway and DNS settings, but then refused to do anything else.
I was impressed to see that the Holiday Inn Express I was staying in had what appeared to be LED lights (with a 'bubbly' diffuser) as reading lights on the bed (I'm fairly sure the one in Bedford has normal bright reading lights, as I recall them getting insanely hot - I'll let them off because Bedford had a nice curry and the barmaid was cute). The lights in the bath were clearly halogen, from the intense heat, but the rest of the room was lit with fluorescents. Very energy efficient. I was very dissapointed to discover the wireless internet access was nowhere to be seen, and the LAN connection gave me an IP address, gateway and DNS settings, but then refused to do anything else.
//unless you have a need for urgent lighting, I wouldn't rate it as important.//
Well, that's up to you, it's an opinion. Wrong, of course.
Hall lights, for instance. Firstly, switching them on and off uses up far too much electricity with 'energy saving' lightbulbs. Secondly, you only want to use them, typically, for a few seconds whilst you use the corridor: energy saving lightbulbs stay dim for a while when they're first on. In a messy corridor like mine, that's a health and safety issue ;)
Well, that's up to you, it's an opinion. Wrong, of course.
Hall lights, for instance. Firstly, switching them on and off uses up far too much electricity with 'energy saving' lightbulbs. Secondly, you only want to use them, typically, for a few seconds whilst you use the corridor: energy saving lightbulbs stay dim for a while when they're first on. In a messy corridor like mine, that's a health and safety issue ;)
I agree about the hall comment. Someone has put an energy saving in the entrance hallway to my flat and that is pretty pointless to be honest. I can't read the mail unless I leave the main door open or wait for it to warm up.
Putting an ES light in the living room, bedroom and to a lesser extent the bathroom is worthwile though as they get left on for long periods. I do prefer the softer light for these rooms which is why I am not convinced about LEDs unless they have decent diffusers etc.
Putting an ES light in the living room, bedroom and to a lesser extent the bathroom is worthwile though as they get left on for long periods. I do prefer the softer light for these rooms which is why I am not convinced about LEDs unless they have decent diffusers etc.
Morning (okay, afternoon). I've resorted to walking in the dark from my bedroom to the kitchen, to save turning on the hall light for a few seconds. It does help that there's nothing to bump into except for a couple of door handles and a radiator. Right now my bedroom looks a mess though, with the P4 machine at one end and my suitcase and bag at the other end.
Don't forget that Fab's eyes don't react as quickly as ours to changes in light, so "urgent lighting" would probably be just as bad as very dim light would be for you or me.
Don't forget that Fab's eyes don't react as quickly as ours to changes in light, so "urgent lighting" would probably be just as bad as very dim light would be for you or me.