Lights Out

[Papi Chulo]

Looks like the days of the incandescent lamp are numbered.

They will be banned for sale in Ontario at the end of 2011

I guess we will have to stockpile them if we wish to continue using them... or smuggle them in from other places which do not ban them.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/04/18/ontario-lightbulb-ban.html


I don't have a single incandescent lamp in my house. I installed recessed fixtures which take a 4 pin plug in lamp (I use 5000K). I chose these instead of screw in CFL's because I like to dim my lights and dimmable CFL's are overpriced and have a much shorter life than they are rated for.

 

[The Mechanic]

Looks like the days of the incandescent lamp are numbered.

They will be banned for sale in Ontario at the end of 2011

I guess we will have to stockpile them if we wish to continue using them... or smuggle them in from other places which do not ban them.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/04/18/ontario-lightbulb-ban.html


I don't have a single incandescent lamp in my house. I installed recessed fixtures which take a 4 pin plug in lamp (I use 5000K). I chose these instead of screw in CFL's because I like to dim my lights and dimmable CFL's are overpriced and have a much shorter life than they are rated for.

They have been replace these light in Sydney, the goverment has kids with ladders and CFL replacing them in households all over for a small cost to the home owners

 

[l69norm]

Looks like the days of the incandescent lamp are numbered.....

I seem to remember that residential lighting made up about 10-15% of the entire electrical load in Ontario so banning incandescent light would result in 8-12% reduction in consumer electricity demand (assuming that CFL is 75-80% better than incadecent)

I haven't seen any numbers on how much less electrictiy consumption there is on a per capita basis since deregulation and rate increases. I would suspect that banning of incandescents would have just as big if not bigger impact.

This is a neat CFL demo. They used a 2 Km string of CFLs plugged into a single outlet.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/the_power_of_th.php

One thing I found was really interesting was the argument on mercury in CFLs. The coal used to make the extra electricity for an incandescent lamp contains far more mercury than what's in a CFL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

Did you know a coal plant releases more radioactivity into the environment than a nuclear plant? I found that surprising too.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99402.HTM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal

 

[C Dick]

I have a bunch of dimmers and photosensor lights with incandescent bulbs. They always say that you can not use CFLs in those fixtures. Is there a solution? Papi, what is the 5000K dimmable that you refer to, is it dimmable and as efficient as a CFL? I have never heard of it.

 

[MarkII]

C Dick..I think these are CFL bulbs that come in selectable light temperatures..5000k being the most preferable because it's essentially noon colour temp which the brain and eye use as a reference point for everything we see.

I had not heard of these but a little bit of googling turned up the answers. Very interesting stuff. I have been using very expensive bulbs in my computer room for ambient light to balance the monitor screen ambient light colour combo...but this is a much better and far cheaper solution.

5000k lights are very pleasing to the eye. It shows proper colours and hues and it's what our brain wants to see and doesn't have to convert. It's actually quite relaxing to be in a room that has 5000k bulbs. Your mind doesn't work overtime adjusting..so it's quite tranquil.

 

[Anynym]

I don't have a single incandescent lamp in my house.

Really? Are you using CFLs in your microwave oven? In your oven? In your drier? Are you installing CFLs in fixtures where they are not designed to be used?

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/home/Household_Lighting_Section4.cfm?attr=4

 

[WhaWhaWha]

They're banning all my favorite evils. smoking, trans fats, incandescant light bulbs, freon,

Remember Demolition Man? Edgar Friendly: I've seen the future. You know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin, sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing, "I'm an Oscar Meyer wiener."

 

[Papi Chulo]

I have a bunch of dimmers and photosensor lights with incandescent bulbs. They always say that you can not use CFLs in those fixtures. Is there a solution? Papi, what is the 5000K dimmable that you refer to, is it dimmable and as efficient as a CFL? I have never heard of it.

You can only dim certain CFLS.

The lamps I use, work using an electronic ballast located in the housing of the recessed fixture. The lamps come in different colours - 27K, 30K, 35K, 41K, 50K & 65K. They just look like a U shaped tube with a plastic keyed base with 4 pins


I think I paid about $100 per fixture.... but I can dim them (with a special dimmer )

They can be dimmed much lower than the screw in CFL's. The dimmable screw in CFLs can only dim to about 50% and are not energy star rated as most of them only last 6000 hours, I believe Energy Star requires that they last 10000 hours.

Dimmable screw in CFLS

Really? Are you using CFLs in your microwave oven? In your oven? In your drier? Are you installing CFLs in fixtures where they are not designed to be used?

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/home/Household_Lighting_Section4.cfm?attr=4

Yes, really

I have installed small halogen lamps in my microwave oven, oven and dryer (halogen is not classified as an incandescent lamp).

In my refrigerator & in my enclosed fixtures, I also made sure that I installed Panasonic CFLS as they are one of the few that can work properly in a enclosed fixture and are rated for low temperatures. (the heat build up in an enclosed fixture dramatically reduces the rated life of most CFL's)

I also got rid of the motion sensors on the exterior lights & put them on a wall switch / timer because there is a trickle current that passes through them to the lamp constantly and damages the electronics in CFL's, also dramatically reducing their rated life.

So to answer your question, no I am not using CFL's where they were not designed to be used.. and in most cases, it would only shorten the life of the lamp. I also did not say that I only use CFL's. I also have a number of 4" low voltage recessed fixtures installed in a few rooms (low voltage means it is a halogen lamp, 37Watt (IR) MR16), as well as the xenon puck lights in my counter lighting.

I also use LED MR16 lamps in my soffit fixtures. They cost quite a bit, but it was worth it because they are a pain in the ass to change.

You could say that I have done my homework, and am probably far more knowledgeable than yourself or anyone else on here, regarding this topic.

 

[antlerman]

The incandescent lamp (IL) is going like the vinyl record......and soon the CFL will go the same way by the new and better way of lighting...LED's...

IL 60 watt bulb.....is like a 40watt CFL.......but you can get the same light out of an LED bulb that uses 9watts.....

A CFL will outlast an IL by 5 to one.....or better........but a LED bulb will last about 100,000 hours

 

[Papi Chulo]

The incandescent lamp (IL) is going like the vinyl record......and soon the CFL will go the same way by the new and better way of lighting...LED's...

IL 60 watt bulb.....is like a 40watt CFL.......but you can get the same light out of an LED bulb that uses 9watts.....

A CFL will outlast an IL by 5 to one.....or better........but a LED bulb will last about 100,000 hours

Actually, a 13-15W CFL has a lumen output that is equivalent to a 60W incandescent lamp.

a 40W CFL is equivalent to approx 175W, incandescent

Most IL's are rated for about 800 hours (most people opt for the cheap ones instead of the 6000 hour, 130V ones)

most CFL's which are Energy Star rated, have a rated life of 8000-10000 hours... which means most CFLS will last approx 8-10 times as long.


It will be a few years before LED's replace CFL's & halogen lamps. In order to put out a significant amount of light, it is necessary to put the LEDs in clusters and there is a problem with heat dissipation from the circuitry. I have seen a floodlight fixture, using LED's put out as much light as a 175W metal halide lamp, however because of the heat issues (which shorten the life of the LED's), and the price, it will be years before they take a significant market share.

There is apparently a light source more efficient than LED, which is being used in some greenhouses... it is light from LCD's

 

[C Dick]

Papi, thanks for the dimmable CFL link, that is exactly what I am looking for. Do you know if they are available at any GTA retailer? I assume that it is just a matter of time.

I am curious, why you are so into these lightbulbs? Are you in the industry, or did you just take on converting your house as a project, and if so, why?