Posted on 03/13/2010 3:17:38 PM PST by george76
Venezuela has been suffering through its worst energy crisis in the last 50 years. President Hugo Chavez’s solution? Change all the light bulbs! Well, that might not be the only action the country is taking (they’ve also put electricity rationing into effect) but an army of Venezuelan soldiers has been given direct orders from the president to distribute thousands of Firefly energy-efficient CFL bulbs.
In terms of slashing electricity use, it doesn’t help that Venezuelans are the highest energy consumers per capita in Latin America. In fact, state run electricity company Corpoelec says Venezuelans use more than 1,000 kilowatt hours a year per person than the second biggest users in the region, Chile.
Not everyone is liking the government’s heavy handed approach, however, which includes a fierce public education campaign and fines for industrial and major domestic energy consumers. Businesses are concerned that the forced blackouts, electricity rationing and heavy fines may severely effect Venezuelan productivity.
(Excerpt) Read more at inhabitat.com ...
but how many Venezuelan soldiers does it take to change a light bulb?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8543469.stm
Did he tell everyone to check the pressure in their tires as well?
If Chavez gets any more vapid, he’ll approach the Kenyan Klod’s record breaking vapidity.
Although, methinks Chavez can give a speech without a Loon-O-Promptor, which makes him a cut or two above the LOTUS (Loon of the US).
Countries like this have to keep the armed forces busy, lest they revolt.
This is what happens when a retard runs a country... oh wait, we don’t have to look that far
CFL light bulbs are a hoax. They are short-lived due on on-off inrush current cycles, and cost much more over time than current technology. Furthermore, the mercury released on breakage in a home, or at the trash dump, is a known health and environmental hazard. Better to reduce voltage on a regular incandescent bulb by 10 percent and build in a current inrush limiting thermister...great conservation measure that would make continuance of use of incandescent bulbs very practical. LED bulbs offer more promise than CFL bulbs.
Politics and CFL bulbs are just another disaster.
ANONYMOUS
Hugo says.... “Everyone pat their head.”
How many Venezuelans does it take to change a president?
Maybe, but the armed forces also put a bit of fright into the households that will get their bulbs changed, most likely.
Absolutely.
A few thousand lights... hmmm... let's say Venezuela has 10,000 lights. 100W lights and let's say the CFL equivalents consume 20W. That's 80W savings per lamp, resulting in nation-wide savings of... 800,000W. (Isn't that what Al Gore's house consumes?)
With a population of about 25 million, that's .032W savings per person. 32 milliwatts.
I guess they really do have an energy problem.
I guess that answers the question about how many totalitarian dictators it takes to change a light bulb.
The light quality of the early ones was poor so they only went in unimportant places such as over the woodpile. When they got a bit better they started going into clip-on and other shaded lamps, in the office and workbench. (The fluorescents near the workbench remain.) When turn-on time improved they went into hallways.
Later they went into living areas, but with the rule that they were always in shaded fixtures. In such I find the light nearly indistinguishable from incandescents now.
But we didn't run through the house willy-nilly replacing perfectly good incandescents; as a rule we replaced them only when they died. The only incandescents left are direct-view decorative lamps (which, due to the structure of low-wattage filaments, die rapidly -- I've often thought about designing and building a current-inrush limiter, though I haven't done any analog circuit design in many years). And we have one incandescent living room lamp that is rarely used and the bulb is still good.
We are VERY happy with the reduction in our utility bills and increase in our pocketbooks. I would also be very happy if Congress would revoke its stupid law and let you continue to use incandescents. They are especially advantageous in cold climates where one has electric heat.
Oh, by the way, the amount of mercury in these CFLs is in the vicinity of 3% (or was it 0.3%, and falling) of the old mercury fever thermometers, of which I personally have broken at least two in my lifetime.
I too am waiting for the LEDs and will switch when they reach the appropriate mix of light quality and cost savings.
As these bulbs age they start up very dim and takes many seconds before up to full wattage. Pain in the as@. And they do not last long. Switching back to incandescent and buying up plenty of stock while I can.
BS. I have been a photographer for many years and have a very expensive light meter. It measures light output in case you have no knowledge of a light meter. As some of my bulbs age they require a varied time to reach to full potential. This pis@es me off. Nice try.
Not my experience outside of floods, which for some reason are quite slow to start.
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