Comments on: Philips Wins $10 Million Prize with 60-Watt Equivalent Bulb That Uses 1/6th of the Power http://inhabitat.com/philips-wins-10-million-prize-with-60-watt-equivalent-bulb-that-uses-16th-of-the-power/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Wed, 22 May 2013 15:39:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: gep2 http://inhabitat.com/philips-wins-10-million-prize-with-60-watt-equivalent-bulb-that-uses-16th-of-the-power/comment-page-1/#comment-350464 gep2 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:28:18 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=284577#comment-350464 I would have preferred to see a cold cathode bulb as the winner... I've been switching over my home to cold cathode light bulbs. One good reason for a ban is landlords in apartments and rental housing who will use the cheapest bulbs they can buy, and then leave tenants to pay the electric bills. You also really shouldn't only consider the electricity used by the bulb... you also should count the heat load that it generates, and the electricity the air conditioning system uses to pump that heat outside. Note that we here in the USA are latecomers to the incandescent ban... Australia was the first, followed by the European Union and Canada. I think a ban is soon in effect in China, too. I've been told that the amount of electricity the US wasted in incandescent light bulbs was equal to SEVENTY PERCENT (!!) of all the energy we use in every car and light truck in America...! Meaning that if we TRIPLED the fuel economy of every car and light truck (to 70+ mpg), and then replaced our entire fleet, we wouldn't save as much energy as we will by getting rid of incandescent light bulbs! I would have preferred to see a cold cathode bulb as the winner… I’ve been switching over my home to cold cathode light bulbs. One good reason for a ban is landlords in apartments and rental housing who will use the cheapest bulbs they can buy, and then leave tenants to pay the electric bills. You also really shouldn’t only consider the electricity used by the bulb… you also should count the heat load that it generates, and the electricity the air conditioning system uses to pump that heat outside. Note that we here in the USA are latecomers to the incandescent ban… Australia was the first, followed by the European Union and Canada. I think a ban is soon in effect in China, too. I’ve been told that the amount of electricity the US wasted in incandescent light bulbs was equal to SEVENTY PERCENT (!!) of all the energy we use in every car and light truck in America…! Meaning that if we TRIPLED the fuel economy of every car and light truck (to 70+ mpg), and then replaced our entire fleet, we wouldn’t save as much energy as we will by getting rid of incandescent light bulbs!

]]> By: caeman http://inhabitat.com/philips-wins-10-million-prize-with-60-watt-equivalent-bulb-that-uses-16th-of-the-power/comment-page-1/#comment-348496 caeman Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:02:24 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=284577#comment-348496 Ban the CFL! Long live the LED! Ban the CFL! Long live the LED!

]]> By: lighthouse10 http://inhabitat.com/philips-wins-10-million-prize-with-60-watt-equivalent-bulb-that-uses-16th-of-the-power/comment-page-1/#comment-348414 lighthouse10 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:57:45 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=284577#comment-348414 This is exciting stuff - the more lighting choice, the better. As you say, they think these Philips LED bulbs will come down a lot in price (as indeed have CFLs, even discounting subsidies) OK, so why ban simple incandescent alternatives in that case, which of course have advantages too? Presumably people will soon WANT to buy all these wonderful new bulbs then - without coercion? Ergo 1. People prefer new bulbs = why ban old bulbs, little savings from a ban, and the old bulbs still have advantages in some situations (compare radio tubes and transistors, tubes were bought less anyway, but are still useful in some situations - any guitarists out there ?!) 2. People still prefer old bulbs = rather odd to ban them then, as well! (and it is a ban, halogen type incandescents will be banned too before 2020 on the Energy Act 45 lumen per Watt specification, and anyway have different light quality as well as much greater expense for marginal savings) Unfortunately, the supposed switchover savings are not there anyway, either for society (less than 1% US energy usage, 1-2% grid electricity) or for consumers, based on DOE 's own statistics - http://ceolas.net/#li171x There are as seen much more relevant ways to save energy, in electricity generation, grid distribution, and real consumption waste, than from telling people what light bulbs they can or can't use. This is exciting stuff
- the more lighting choice, the better.

As you say, they think these Philips LED bulbs will come down a lot in price
(as indeed have CFLs, even discounting subsidies)

OK,
so why ban simple incandescent alternatives in that case, which of course have advantages too?
Presumably people will soon WANT to buy all these wonderful new bulbs then – without coercion?

Ergo

1. People prefer new bulbs = why ban old bulbs, little savings from a ban, and the old bulbs still have advantages in some situations
(compare radio tubes and transistors, tubes were bought less anyway, but are still useful in some situations – any guitarists out there ?!)

2. People still prefer old bulbs = rather odd to ban them then, as well!
(and it is a ban, halogen type incandescents will be banned too before 2020 on the Energy Act 45 lumen per Watt specification, and anyway have different light quality as well as much greater expense for marginal savings)

Unfortunately,
the supposed switchover savings are not there anyway, either for society (less than 1% US energy usage, 1-2% grid electricity)
or for consumers, based on DOE ‘s own statistics – http://ceolas.net/#li171x
There are as seen much more relevant ways to save energy,
in electricity generation, grid distribution, and real consumption waste,
than from telling people what light bulbs they can or can’t use.

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