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wfay
- Senior Member - 4K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 4:21a 
lexx said: these are the same boobs who said we should all have a flying car by now and telephones with live video pictures!maybe they should test them by sticking them in their ears and grabbing a powerline?at least you'd get an honest appraisal?pimp, pimp, pimp, and away!why are you in this thread? go bother people somewhere else. |
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Whatatay
- Senior Member - 1K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 4:49a
gooddeals96 said:I switched all my bulbs last month, they already paid for themselves on the new electric bill. Just for anyone who thinks they are too expensive....
You save $3 a year per bulb. I don't think they paid for themselves in a month. |
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kenmarks
- Senior Member - 1K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 10:07a
You save way more than that! It all depends on how much your electric rates are and how many hours the light is on. Let's say you replace a 100 watt bulb that you burn 16 hrs a day. You save 77 watts x 16 hrs x 365 days = 449,680 watts / 1000 = 449.68 kw x 0.06 cents = $26.98 savings per year or $189 over a 7 year life of the bulb. 100 watt replacement bulbss sell for $5.99 for a package of 4 which is $1.50 each. So this bulb would indeed pay for itself in just one month! And if you are in some parts of the country you may pay substancially more for electricity...
I installed a number of lights that will probably never pay for themselves as well as several that will pay for themselves very quickly. I calculated my project would pay for itself in 6 months.
Just think how much energy would be saved if everyone switched over... |
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hostpath
- Senior Member
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 11:33a
I know it's not all that relevant to the deal itself, but:
A couple of years ago we had a new house built, and since we were starting fresh I went ahead and put a CFL in every single socket where a bulb is supposed to go. 30 days after I moved in, I had an energy audit done by the local power company, and they commented on the CFL's--but only to note that I would probably never "pay for" the investment in the bulbs because they'd likely burn out before they were paid for in savings.
Sure enough, a year-and-a-half later every one of the expensive CFL's had burned out and are all now replaced with super cheapo regular incandescent bulbs. Since I have electronic archives of all my bills, I went back and checked. There is no appreciable difference in my energy usage.
The biggest energy/money savers I installed? A thermostat with a built-in programmable timer and having my entire duct system sealed (the sealing cost just $65 thanks to a power company promotion).
Just one family's experience. |
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strange0kiddo
- Senior Member
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 11:46a
CFLs should only be used in places where the lights stay on for a long time. Turning them on and off constantly will reduce the lifespan of the bulb. The rule is, if you leave the room for less than 3 minutes, do not turn the bulb off. This is unlike incandescent bulbs that you should turn off right when you leave the room. You should not put them into bathrooms either, the steam will shorten the lifespan of the bulb.
A few years ago these bulbs were still new. The bulbs out today should be better than the old ones, they should warm up faster and not flicker. If used right they should save you electricity, it is logical since a 25watt bulb is comparable to the 100watt bulb and last longer.
Its kind of sad that they don't really tell people how to use the bulbs.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/user_tips_for_c.php
* Standard incandescent: turn off even if you leave the room for just seconds.
* Compact fluorescent: turn off if you leave the room for 3 minutes.
* Standard fluorescent: turn off if you leave the room for 15 minutes. |
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kenmarks
- Senior Member - 1K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 2:39p
hostpath said:I know it's not all that relevant to the deal itself, but:
A couple of years ago we had a new house built, and since we were starting fresh I went ahead and put a CFL in every single socket where a bulb is supposed to go. 30 days after I moved in, I had an energy audit done by the local power company, and they commented on the CFL's--but only to note that I would probably never "pay for" the investment in the bulbs because they'd likely burn out before they were paid for in savings.
Sure enough, a year-and-a-half later every one of the expensive CFL's had burned out and are all now replaced with super cheapo regular incandescent bulbs. Since I have electronic archives of all my bills, I went back and checked. There is no appreciable difference in my energy usage.
Yes, your comments are definitely relevant. These bulbs are guaranteed for 7 to 9 years, so like a true FatWalleter, hold on to your receipts and the part of the package with the stated warranty 
Keep in mind that CFL have continued to evolve and these will undoubtably last longer than old ones and the manufacturers and retailers probably will not have to replace many under warranty. So you might want to give it another go.
Programable setback thermostats are indeed another cheap and easy way to save energy while increasing comfort and convenience. I have 2 programable Aube programable line-voltage thermostats on my main cadet heaters and all of the others heaters are set to 60 or turned off. |
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kenmarks
- Senior Member - 1K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 2:44p
wfay said:lexx said: these are the same boobs who said we should all have a flying car by now and telephones with live video pictures!maybe they should test them by sticking them in their ears and grabbing a powerline?at least you'd get an honest appraisal?pimp, pimp, pimp, and away!why are you in this thread? go bother people somewhere else.
I think lexx is just anti-environment. He wants us to improperly dispose of our CFLs and to burn solid fuel. It must be kind of difficult to find an applicable forum for that... |
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souperbait00
- Senior Member - 3K
posted: Apr. 23, 2007 @ 5:55p
thanks. picked some up yesterday. using them in the office now and they look just as good as the old bulbs that were there. |
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ReidWings
- Frivolous Member
posted: May. 17, 2007 @ 11:02a
What the heck, my free earth day CFL already burned out! I was making sure I didn't flick it on and off a lot too. The bulb was in the outer section of my bathroom, but the shower is a door away, so there isn't a lot of moisture where the bulb was.
Can anyone think of why it would burn out so fast? |
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elgatoxl
- Senior Member
posted: May. 17, 2007 @ 11:11a
Not sure, but I'd wager that they were super cheap light bulbs. My GE CFL's are going on two years and still work. |
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kenmarks
- Senior Member - 1K
posted: May. 17, 2007 @ 11:27a
ReidWings said:What the heck, my free earth day CFL already burned out! I was making sure I didn't flick it on and off a lot too. The bulb was in the outer section of my bathroom, but the shower is a door away, so there isn't a lot of moisture where the bulb was.
Can anyone think of why it would burn out so fast?
Mybe you just got a lemon. I bought 53 of this brand and they are working strong. I saved the receipts and part of the package in case they do fail. |
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sechs
- Cranky Member
posted: May. 17, 2007 @ 1:24p
As said, you probably just got a bad bulb. Unfortunately, it happens.
Even though you got it for free, you might be able to swing an exchange. It's worth a try, at least. |
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