[MD]

We've all lived through the switch from incandescent to CFL and now LED technology. I haven't tallied the energy savings but given the following facts, the global impact should be significant.

-CFL provides three times the lumens (light "volume" per watt) than incandescent.
-LED's are marginally better than that.
-There are BILLIONS of light bulbs glowing around the planet that are being rapidly switched over.
-Manufacturing costs (energy in) for CFL/LED are fast reaching parity with incandescent.

Energy efficiency = opportunity, now and long into the future. The math is simple.

[dolanbaker]

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that, it appears that as the lights are more efficient more are being used to illuminate the areas than previously. Still a saving but not as great a saving as would have been made in a like for like substitution.

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dolanbaker', 'U')nfortunately, it's not as simple as that, it appears that as the lights are more efficient more are being used to illuminate the areas than previously. Still a saving but not as great a saving as would have been made in a like for like substitution.

[yellowcanoe]

I'm waiting to see how effective the ban on 75 watt and 100 watt incandescent bulbs in Canada that took effect on January 1 will be. The sale of bulbs manufactured before January 1 is allowed so it is possible that distributors stocked up to cater to the pro-incandescent crowd. We did rush out to buy some 100 watt incandescent bulbs to ensure that our 40 year old Easi-Bake oven remains usable!

I do not agree that CFL bulbs should be classified as toxic waste. The amount of mercury they contain is quite minute and even if one of these bulbs breaks in your house I don't think it is something you need to freak out over. Telling people that the bulbs are toxic and cannot be discarded in regular garbage just gives people another excuse to continue using inefficient incandescent bulbs.

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'W')e have a Calif. residential requirement on new construction for CFL's in the bathroom/kitchen. It helps I guess? A downside: the fixtures include the ballast and the sockets are double-pin (rather than screw-in) so I don't know if I can convert to LED when they are available, without changing the ballast, if that is even possible?

Where's the national carbon tax?

[Surf]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'd')olanbaker wrote:
pstarr wrote:
We have a Calif. residential requirement on new construction for CFL's in the bathroom/kitchen. It helps I guess? A downside: the fixtures include the ballast and the sockets are double-pin (rather than screw-in) so I don't know if I can convert to LED when they are available, without changing the ballast, if that is even possible?

Where's the national carbon tax?
That sounds like a fairly short-sighted law, in a few years it may well be the case that LED bulbs completely outperform CFL's in the future with builders forced into installing lamps that householders don't want.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'W')e have a Calif. residential requirement on new construction for CFL's in the bathroom/kitchen. It helps I guess? A downside: the fixtures include the ballast and the sockets are double-pin (rather than screw-in) so I don't know if I can convert to LED when they are available, without changing the ballast, if that is even possible?

Where's the national carbon tax?

[dolanbaker]

I expect that there will soon be a new standard for LED installations that will include a low voltage lighting circuit and a central inverter for the whole house and standardized connectors.

It just needs a few more years for the standard to evolve.

[Surf]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'd')olanbaker wrote:
I expect that there will soon be a new standard for LED installations that will include a low voltage lighting circuit and a central inverter for the whole house and standardized connectors.

It just needs a few more years for the standard to evolve.interesting. like current low-voltage ac lighting with a central transformer and small guage wire

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dolanbaker', 'U')nfortunately, it's not as simple as that, it appears that as the lights are more efficient more are being used to illuminate the areas than previously. Still a saving but not as great a saving as would have been made in a like for like substitution.

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Surf', 'T')hicker wire and the transformer and the specal low voltage connectors add expens and offer no real beifit over 120VAC fixtures.

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dolanbaker', 'I') expect that there will soon be a new standard for LED installations that will include a low voltage lighting circuit and a central inverter for the whole house and standardized connectors.

It just needs a few more years for the standard to evolve.

[Surf]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '1')2V definitely makes sense for off-grid applications, though. I'm still using an inverter and 120V LED lamp for my main lighting, but I plan on experimenting with 12V lighting. Just need too get some 1141 LED bulbs. These bulbs will allegedly produce 280 lumens of warm light using 0.18 amps. The AC lamp with 7W LED I'm currently using produces a rated 450 lumens using 0.58 amps, not including inverter draw (0.27 amps).

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Surf', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')
I have built a LED plant grow lamp with leds wired in a series parallel configuration and it is powered by a 12V power supply and some small resisters. With a 40W power consumption it is painful to look at directly and has no heat sinks and no fans. The key for this type of assembly is to insure that the leds operate at a reasonable and stable temperature. My grow lamp operates at a temperature of about 100F which is well below 130C temperature limit sepecified by many LED manufactures.