On 12/20/2011 10:44 AM, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
John Smith wrote:

We have also put everything on timers to avoid hitting peak times, we
basically "go dark" at peak and then back on after ... wife does
laundry, run dishwasher, showers, etc., always off peak times ...

I use several CFLs in places that need to be on almost the entire day,
from 5am until 2am, for example in a windowless bathroom. I don't bother
with a timer, I just use an 8w CFL, which is enough to do most things
you would do in a bathroom. When you want more light, there is a two 40w
floursecent fixture which gets turned on and off as needed.

I also put two 28 watt warm CFLs in a hallway that was "dark and dirty" (or it
looked that way, it really was clean) because it was unlit. They are on
(manually) from around 6:30am until 1am. It really changes the look of the
place and since there is light I put some house plants on top of a cabinet
near one of the lights. I could of done the same thing with 2 100 Watt or
4 60 Watt incandescent bulbs, but the cost of the fixtures would of been
a lot higher, and the operating cost prohibative.

So instead of a dark "pit" which is ignored, it has become the center of
the apartment when you walk in the door and you see a warm, comforting
light and green plants.


If you don't think you can make one hell of a dent in your power bill,
think again, and fluorescent/LEDs are a part of that difference ...
unless you live in a tent and use but a single light bulb ...

If you need incandescent light for reading, you can always buy small
spot beams which don't light (and warm) the rest of the room up.

I do find that flourescent lights in general are not as good for close
work or reading, so I often have to use more of them than the usual
stated amounts. For example, I have two 2x40 Watt fixtures in the kitchen,
a 28 Watt fixture over the sink, and a 12 Watt CFL in the ceiling fan,
which is used to light the room when it is not in use (so you can see
how to get around).

That would be the equivalent of over 1KW of incandescent lighting, which
would not only be too expensive to run, but would produce enough heat
I could cook things right on the table. :-)

Also, we have split our appliance between natural gas and electricity,
so we never exceed the allotted cubic feet and KW/hrs. Of course, if I
worked for the power company, I might advise others to use more. lol

:-)

geoff.



I can tell you give some thought to use, purpose and goals. This type
of logic works well with light and ones power bill ... but, it is a good
model for all other endeavors in life ... I'll bet it has severed you well.

Yes, very much in agreement with you ... I have even switched out my
flashlight bulbs for tactical LED ones, of the type used in the modern
Maglites ... not only is battery life increased, but the light is
brighter and provides more detail of objects illuminated ...

Regards,
JS