Dim Idea (The environmentalist's war on your bathroom and how you light your home)

National Review ^ | 10/04/2010 | Rob Long

[CitizenUSA]

“Either you think a more prosperous world is a good thing — that prosperity and ingenuity can solve most of our pressing problems — or you don’t.”

[rarestia]

Good stuff. I’ve heard about these EPA assaults on dealers. I recently had a rep from Kohler in my home to help me re-vamp all of my bathroom and kitchen gadgetry, and he mentioned that Kohler was up against a wall with some of their products. Three of them in particular were exactly the same as those I chose to upgrade my shower, and there’s apparently an extensive lead time on the components since they’re so popular right now. He told me, however, to select another set from their “Green” catalog, and I adamantly refused.

His response, “It’s all going green. You might be forced to change these $XXX faucets through future legislation.”

I asked him to leave and called Kohler to complain.

[NEMDF]

Interesting. Thanks for posting. What are they going to do about the huge bathroom whirlpool/spa tubs people have? Surely those use much more water and energy than a nice shower head with decent water pressure. When we stay at hotels that have those low-pressure showerheads, I have no doubt that it takes me three times as long to rinse my hair. I doubt they are saving any water.

[MrB]

The funny part is that the left tries to think of themselves as on the side of freedom...

[I cannot think of a name]

The funniest part of this - the “experts” would lead you to believe that fluorescent lights ALWAYS save energy -

horse manure!

Put one in a room that gets turned on and off eight or nine times a day - like a bathroom in a typical family home - and there will be a net loss in energy efficiency.

Fluorescents work great in rooms that will have the lights on most of the day (family rooms for an example). But they are not a be all, end all, savings.

[desertfreedom765]

“The funny part is that the left tries to think of themselves as on the side of freedom...”

Yea right, were free to be there Serfs.

[battousai]

...replaced by those awful Dairy Queen–looking things, the compact-fluorescent bulbs that bathe the world in a gauzy, dirty, yellow haze. It’s sick-room lighting, state-mental-hospital illumination — the kind of lights they used in East Germany to keep everyone sad and downcast.

While I agree with the point of his article, that we should not be forced to buy something, he is being over dramatic in describing CFLs, yes some are dingy and yellow, but you need to pick ones with the correct colour temperature, we have voulnatarily replaced all the lights at home with CFLs not for any 'green' reasons, but because we prefer the light. However that is because we picked the one that provided light in the 6500K colour temperature range (often labled 'daylight' bulbs) the light is brighter and whiter than with incandescents. So it really comes down to the type of CFL you get and not the actual CFL technology.

Of course the added benefits of less heat output and less electricity usage are a bonus, especially in my computer room that has 3 computers and associated hardware running at any one time :)

[MrB]

dat da troof!

Every leftist, from the president down to the hemp stinkinest dreadlocked junior college student,

thinks he will be the one holding the whip instead of living under its lash.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

H. L. Mencken said he'd trade the Parthenon for an American bathroom.

He meant it as a dig at American's who were in thrall to European Kultur (as he put it).

[reformedliberal]

We have an ancient (22 year old) portable 2-person whirlpool in our bathroom, which we remodeled from a small bedroom, 22 years ago. It is 150 gallons and self-contained. It still works fine, although we have replaced everything once and have done some JB Weld and silicon fusion tape repairs in a couple places on the pipes/fittings. It is nearly obsolete, but many small businesses retrofit these old spas.

It saves us water. We are on a well and septic system. We take Navy showers, except in the dead of winter. Good pressure from one of those variable mode shower heads. The tub is heated to 108F 2x a day in winter and once a day in summer. Takes about 1 1/2-2 hours each time and saves money over leaving on all the time, which usually means it runs one hour out of every 4 plus it will run the heater every few hours for awhile to keep the temp up. Only I use it in summer. We add water about once a week or so, whenever it gets a gallon or so down by evaporation. It gets drained, cleaned, filter changed and refilled about once every 3 months or so and stays clear and sparkling in between. We use a polymer clarifier and an oxygen shock. Chemicals run about $60/year. We also clean and reuse the filters and probably buy one at $45/each, every year. I think I have 3 that are still efficient on hand at the moment.

When replacement time comes, if I can't find another small tub for a decent price (they run about $4k), we have decided we can likely replace the works for under $2k in today's prices. The acrylic tub and the insulating foam are still in good shape. I think they are good for 40 years or so.

I have looked at the drain and fill tubs with an in-line heater and I think they use way more water and energy than ours.

[MarineBrat]

I don’t know where this guy found his “yellow” bulbs, but my wife just put in a bunch of crappy white ones that I absolutely hate. They’re white and sterile. It’s like being in an operating room!

[SeekAndFind]

RE: The funny part is that the left tries to think of themselves as on the side of freedom...

---

The law that makes incandescent bulbs illegal by a certain date has not been challenged in court by anyone. At least not yet.

I wonder how it will stand the test of constitutionality...

[Gorzaloon]

Two comments:

1) It is easy to drill or bore out the flow restrictor on shower heads.

2) Don't worry about the CFL's. You will not have to endure them for 5,000 hours, or whatever they claim! Each one contains five millgrams of mercury, and won't be made here! They are all made in China, where they dump the manufacturing waste into the river. Due to "Quality Fade" as cheaper and cheaper components are switched into the product, in a few batches, the products will fail in fewer hours than an incandescent bulb.

Then of course, you have to call the EPA, the DEQE, and the Marines to come and remove the "hazardous material". There is probably a "Special Tax" hiding in this, as well.

Be patient. LEDs are on the way.

Or burn tires for light.

[rockrr]

If I worked it right I should have just enough bulbs ferreted away to last me. If I didn’t time it right I’ll probably be so old I won’t be able to notice the difference anyway...;-)

[MrB]

When I challenged a libinlaw about the restrictions on light bulbs and the amount of water we can use to flush our toilets,

she declared that I “didn’t care about the world [I] would leave to my children”.

See, leftists don’t think about ANY issue beyond the point where they feel morally superior and where they justify their false assumption that they are “good people”.

[IYAS9YAS]

When we stay at hotels that have those low-pressure showerheads, I have no doubt that it takes me three times as long to rinse my hair. I doubt they are saving any water.

Don't worry, the good comrades will cut your hair off. Problem solved.

[stevio]

This should be in the Republican agenda. To repeal the incandescent light bulb ban.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Don’t worry, the good comrades will cut your hair off

---

Would you believe, Osama Bin Ladin is also concerned with Global Warming...

How soon before your hair becomes your head?

[GreenHornet]

In the Battle of the Bathroom, the environmental bureaucrats have the optimistic hedonists on the run. They’ve taken our bulbs and our rain-showers, so it’s just a matter of time before they focus their regulatory powers on my toilet, with its delightfully surprising — but water-wasteful — nozzles and jets. This, perhaps, is where we need to take our (seated) stand. This is the line they must not cross. When they come to me with their regulations and federal guidelines, I will take a page from the National Rifle Association and say, “From my cold, dead . . .”

Where's Al Bundy when we need him?