Anyone else hate the new light bulbs?
- Thread starter sixdogs
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kco
Veteran Member
Do you know if the Cree brand is good quality? I sure don't want one without emission standards, or one with a power supply that will cook in 3 months, and drop 15 to 20 bucks down the drain for a dang light bulb.. If I really though they would last as long as the box says and operate cleanly, they would be a good investment. I just don't want to take any risks..
I received three Par 20, 9w, soft white bulbs from Hong Kong this week. The total cost was $16(Canadian, i.e. 5.33 each). The colour and brightness are fine. Time will tell regarding longevity. But the price is reasonable for testing.
Three weeks before, I also replaced three warm white CFL's with 12w soft white LED's on sale from Canadian Tire for $15 each($45 total). We liked these and that is why was decided to test the Hong Kong PAR 20's.
We haven't noticed interference on the TV, cordless phones or cordless headphones. After reading about possible interference in this thread I tested TV wireless headphones( I think 900mhz) and Bluetooth headphones and tablet(2.4 Ghz?) near the two types of LED bulbs. There was no interference from either.
SPIKER
Elite Member
flyerdan
Veteran Member
While you're waiting for the bugs to be worked out and the price to come down on all this whiz-bang new tech, better stock up on 60w and 40w bulbs as the green energy crooks are having them banned at the end of the year.
Has anyone tried those curly-q things in the trouble lights used in the shop for under hood and vehicle work? They used to make rough service bulbs for these that didn't blow the filament when jostled, wish I'd got a couple more cases when Harbor Freight had them.
Has anyone tried those curly-q things in the trouble lights used in the shop for under hood and vehicle work? They used to make rough service bulbs for these that didn't blow the filament when jostled, wish I'd got a couple more cases when Harbor Freight had them.
DarkBlack
Elite Member
Incandescent bulb peak usage is at different daily timing of grid system peak demand.
They have nothing to do with capacity that require building new plants.
cqaigy2
Super Member
You have grid system peak demand but the poster said something about generation. Peak demand on grid and generation facilities aren't the same thing. BTW incandescent bulb peak usage, is at peak demand for both grid and generation systems.
California
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Ever heard of hydroelectric generation? It can be operated very demand-sensitive unlike a coal plant.
Around here (N California) every drop of water conserved is needed by the farmers, or the salmon, depending on your priorities. Both lose when the water goes through the turbine and out to the ocean. Any energy use avoided via conservation is good news. And helps keep our rates down.
(We'll be paying for the costs of Rancho Seco - the nuclear plant that had such high operating costs that they soon pulled the plug - for 50 or 100 years beyond its last day generating. We're a little gun-shy of new plant proposals.
)
DarkBlack
Elite Member
No.
Get some of your incandescent usage TOD vs grid system peak #'s, and we'll talk. Doesn't work like that where I live.
Also, where I live, new plants are built when others are shutdown, or system demand exceeds capacity. That happens during the day here-not night, almost always during hot summer and long days when lighting is at minimum- not at night when incandescents are on in peoples homes.
cqaigy2
Super Member
I don't need numbers, it stands to reason, when i put more load on the system, they open the gates up to compensate. When i use less power, they turn the gates down so less water goes thru the system. Unless they are selling it someplace else. See, that make sense doesn't it?
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
Peak demand here is late afternoon. Most incandescent bulb usage is residential which is much later, and is insignificant to peak load. Summer AC load is what causes the biggest strain on generation/transmission in my area. Maybe different parts of the country are different, but I doubt it.
I've been in the local grid control center, everything is run primarily by cost, but obviously capacity and maintenance issues also come into play. I'm not too familiar with how the hydro plants operate with regard to how often they change their water flow, but I know of some hydro plants with upper and lower lakes. They produce in the day for peak shaving, then at night, when the usage is low, they pump water back uphill to their storage lake for the next day peak usage.
One of the reasons utilities want the smart meter is so they can charge time of day fees. higher rates during the high peak day, lower at night.
I've been in the local grid control center, everything is run primarily by cost, but obviously capacity and maintenance issues also come into play. I'm not too familiar with how the hydro plants operate with regard to how often they change their water flow, but I know of some hydro plants with upper and lower lakes. They produce in the day for peak shaving, then at night, when the usage is low, they pump water back uphill to their storage lake for the next day peak usage.
One of the reasons utilities want the smart meter is so they can charge time of day fees. higher rates during the high peak day, lower at night.
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