Saver bulbs

[Prague]

I have just bought a bunch of energy saver bulbs from Ikea. However, I say we
should switch lights out when we leave a room, while my wife says that
in order to extend the life of our bulbs we should leave lights on!.
Could anyone please tell me which of us is right?
Thanks and regards,
James Drake

[sweeps]

What kind of bulbs are they? Regular incandescent lights should always be turned off when you leave the room because they are so inefficient. Fluorescent lights are more complicated. A general rule of thumb is to turn them off if you're leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. Here is an article from the DOE: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/.../mytopic=12280

[djaco]

I would like to switch from regular bulbs to energy efficient ones. Can anyone tell me what type to get? There are so many bulbs to choose from that say "energy efficient" that I don't know what to buy.

[Optsol]

You can try the compact fluorescent bulbs -- they look like spirals.

They work well -- you can usually pick them up at a 2nd rate hardware store (aka not home depot/lowes) for under a $1 a piece.

They do not work with dimmers, and about 1 in 8 will fail within the first week. The 'good' ones will last for years.

g/l

[flash]

I just bought the GE energy saver bulbs, spirals, rated at 8000 hours instead of the usual 1000 hours. On sale, reduced from $5 to $1. "Energy saving" is a comparative term, and often refers just to the companies "standard" light bulb.

The spirals actually have a brief "warm up" period, where the light goes from dim to full power. This is part of the savings. Standard light bulbs use extra energy to first make that connection. A very poor comparison would be when you first light something with a match, you see that "burst" of flame, then it settles down. Similar thing.

When you turn on a light bulb, the sudden energy flow also wears on the system. Ever notice how often a bulb burns out when you turn on the light, rather than while it's already on? So if you are going in and out of a room, don't turn it on and off constantly. Just think of it as wear and tear, like any other object.

However, if you are going to be out of the room more than a few minutes, for most bulbs you save by turning out the light.

[niki_the_tiger]

I don't know about the turning on vs turning off of the lights (though we try not to keep ours on if we're going to be out of the room for awhile), but we switched to the more energy efficient ones.... and I have definitely noticed a drop in the price per month for our electric bill. Each month has been lower than last year... and that even though my hubby is now using the garage 4 or 5 days a week, which adds a bunch of electricity being used!!

[flash]

I just ran across this statistic for the bulbs we are talking about:



CHANGE YOUR LIGHTBULBS = $142

Remember your dad bugging you to turn off the light when you left the room? Well, he was onto something. Of the nearly $1,500 we spend each year on energy, 19 percent, or $284, goes to lighting our homes. You can halve that figure by changing one-quarter of the most commonly used lights in your house from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Sure, CFLs cost more than standard bulbs (upwards of $5 versus $1.50) -- but they last 6 to 10 times longer and use roughly one-fourth the electricity.


source is energy savings

other good winter saving info stats too!

[pyotr]

I wrote up my experiences with CF bulbs last year - check it out here:
http://septembersong.blogspot.com/20...g_archive.html

In general, CF bulb prices have come down since I wrote that, so it's even a better idea now to change out. I read that LED bulbs are an even better deal and will last "forever" theoretically. I think that LED bulb prices will also be introduced at exorbitant prices, then come down in price after a few years - that's the golden moment to switch to LED bulbs - I think we're probably looking at about 5-10 years down the road though for LED.

[acezz4e_tish]

i know the ones my dad buys and the ones i buy at freds have on them what is a good replacement value. sunbeam has a good label. like it will say and i dont have one handy so dont quote me on the value but, 8w is good for 40, lil colored boxes show a color and a watt value.i get sunbeam bulbs at freds, dad buys walmarts brand, he pays loads more then i do for the bulb, but ive yet to see if they last longer.