Posted on 05/09/2013 3:10:44 PM PDT by Libloather
Conservatives may be less likely to buy energy efficient light bulbs if they're packaged as environmentally friendly, new research suggests.
In one study, participants were given $2 to spend on a light bulb with a choice between a 50-cent incandescent bulb and a $1.50 compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. They were told the CFL bulb would last 9,000 more hours and reduce energy costs by 75 percent compared with the old-fashioned bulb.
Both liberal and conservative participants were more likely to choose the CFL bulb, the researchers found. But if the CFL bulb was marked with a sticker that said "Protect The Environment," those who identified as politically moderate or conservative shied away.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
I’ve done several long, deep analyses of light bulbs. I have a spreadsheet around here somewhere on which I tracked every reasonable alternative, Total Cost of Ownership, light quality, etc.
Back about 3 years ago, the answer to most lighting situations was halogen. Now, I’m hoping costs on LED have come down enough that they are the correct answer. I really like the low energy, high brightness, long life characteristics. All they have to do is break the cost barrier, and LED is the answer.
Watermelon bump!
Green on the outside, red on the inside!
I’m a “Burn-a-Tire-for-Earth-Day” conservative.
I am a Christian so I will not support the idolatrous earth worshiping enviro-cult, even if GE lobbied to impose it on the useful idiots. I have also observed that the cfl does not live up to its claims of longevity. Home Depot now has LED 60 watt equivalents for around ten dollars that might be experimenting with. But if some eco-tyrant forces them on me I will resist as a patriotic duty.
Has any FReeper looked into this? I’m wondering if the upfront cost of the CFL outweighs the energy savings. Is it cheaper to buy more incandescents, replace them more often, and pay more in electric?
It was some pol a couple years ago who was running for office in his next election....a congressman, I think.
Dang, memory fails me.
Leni
I bought 3 of them, 5 bucks apiece. 2 burned out in the first week. One is still going, but it flickers.
I stocked up on incandescents months ago. I have enough to last for years.
My experience has apparently been non-standard.
I’ve had the same incandescent bulb in my desk lamp (which burns 24 hours a day) for about 5 years. And it lived through a move - still burning off to my right. And it’s lived with being cycled at night by the cat (it’s a touch lamp). And...
I put CFLs in the fan (which was never turned on) at my previous home, and only used them rarely, and had to replace all of them at least twice in the last 5 years. It doesn’t help that I can see them flickering (60 or 120) and it gives me a headache.
As for the “green” label crap - I avoid it because it means that the producer either bought into the malarkey, or they’re exploiting that stupid people have bought into the malarkey. No thanks on either one.
Tell me a CFL has been proven to last longer (on average) than an old fashioned incandescent (on average), and use less electricity to boot, and I’ll buy it. Give me quality, not the appearance of it and don’t insult my intelligence in the process.
Now, I’m hoping costs on LED have come down enough that they are the correct answer. I really like the low energy, high brightness, long life characteristics. All they have to do is break the cost barrier, and LED is the answer.
I like LED because more of my electricity gets turned to light and not wasted as heat, it helps on hot summer nights not to be making my AC work harder than it normally does...
http://www.feit.com/led-lamps/accent-led/a-shape
These are AWESOME to replace the bulbs in a refrigerator/freezer, as they fit perfectly in the place of an appliance bulb and they don’t generate extra heat.
I used to have to replace the Bulb in my freezer 1-2 times a year, but 3 years ago I replaced it with a “LED Accent” light and it is still going strong.
The only place for an incandescent light bulb in in an Oven where it supposed to get hot anyways...
Halogens inherently offer excellent spectral characteristics and are dimmable. The spectral characteristics of LEDs and fluorescents have improved, but I've not seen any clear and consistent standard for comparing the spectral quality of different bulbs. Color temperature is not a suitable metric, since it relates to the balance of blue versus red light, rather than the heights of the of peaks and valleys in a wavelength-versus-output plot. Once upon a time, speaker reviews and advertising used to routinely include frequency-response plots. I wonder why bulbs don't?
Please, the CFL are NEVER the same quality light. They are only useful for secuirty type lighting.
Now, the LED lights that have started popping up are interesesting and they are the same price as the CFLs.
I never buy any junk marketed as “a portion of these proceeds go to ....”
CFL bulbs tend to last well and perform well in situations where they are left on for many hours on end, and have adequate ventilation to keep them cool. They tend to perform far less well in situations where they are frequently turned on briefly and then switched back off. If a light is never turned on for more than a minute at a time, replacing an incandescent with a CFL is apt to be an all-around losing proposition since the CFL will burn out quickly while saving relatively little energy.
Those labels are lying if they characterize the CFL light as “warm.” I find that light cold, blue, and almost unbearably depressing.
I don’t like using artificial light as it is, but fluorescents are the worst.
I would interpret this as meaning that without the label, conservatives only looked at the price and long-term cost. When the eco label was applied to the light, it reminded the conservatives that the CFLs contain mercury, and thus are not eco-friendly. The liberals, however, are conditioned Pavlov-style to buy anything that has an eco label, whether or not the item is actually eco-friendly.
I was buying the new kind of bulbs when they were advertised as “long life”
Hell...it will be decades before the mercury leaches out of a modern landfill.
And by that time there won’t be anyone here but Mexicans.
BS, I don't know a single libtard who fell for that lie! Why did the article have to make it political?
As a side note, what happened to the water savings I was supposed to experience when the government told me I had to put a low volume toilet in my bathroom?
Stay out of my f';n life!
Ive purchased more than a few CFL bulbs over the years and most of them are crap.
I can’t keep my baby chicks warm with a CFL bulb!
I can’t keep the winter temp up in my well house with a CFL bulb!
I don’t like CFL bulbs!
I bought some fluorescent bulbs a while back (the traditional long cylindrical style) when I was upgrading the lighting in my garage. They had “eco friendly” labeling on them, and they were cheap. They were the worst I’ve ever had, every one of them failed in short order, some within hours.
So, yes, I stay away from eco-BS whenever I see it.
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