RE: OT: free CFL bulbs (fwd)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-linux@slg.org [mailto:owner-linux@slg.org] On
> Behalf Of Steven Kurylo
> Sent: March 24, 2007 8:32 PM
> To: linux@slg.org
> Subject: Re: OT: free CFL bulbs (fwd)
> I'm sorry, but you're going to have to back that up. Turning
> on takes three hours worth of power? That doesn't even pass
> the smell test.

I don't have data to back it up, but it's fairly common knowledge that
fluorescent lights are best suited for longer-duration usage. This is why
they are so common in offices and schools: they save money due to their
lower power consumption, but they are also on for many hours at a time. For
locations where the bulbs are on for short periods of time, fluorescents are
a very sub-ideal form of light.

Fluorescent lights will last a very long time if they are left turned on for
long periods, but their life shortens dramatically when they are on for
short periods (i.e. power cycled frequently).

I have a set of fluorescent lights in my basement that are rarely on (a
couple of dozen times a year maybe). When I turn them on, however, they are
on for hours. The bulbs are the originals that were installed by the
previous owners no later than spring, 1992. They still work great.
Conversely, I was in an apartment once that had fluorescent lights in the
bathroom. The bulbs lasted about six to nine months in there.

I use CFL bulbs in my home...in places where lights are on for a long time,
and the bulbs aren't used for task lighting. For task lights, I prefer the
flicker-free, better light of incandescent or halogen bulbs. (Halogens are
incandescents actually, just a special kind.) The lack of flicker is
important for me because I can get migraines from flickering. I use a
halogen lamp on my desk at work to mask the fluorescent light, for this very
reason.

Jim
Received on Sat Mar 24 20:53:58 2007