Compact Fluorescent Lamps [RE-wrenches]

[Joel Davidson]

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Thank you all for your replies.

We returned the n:vision CFLs to Home Depot . After reading wikipedia 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp got some Bright 
Effects lights at Lowe's. The 13-watt swirly tube item #46428 gives off a 
greenish tint and they go back. The light from the Bright Effects 15-watt 
bulb-like item #82382 is very similar to the light from a standard 60-watt 
incandescent bulb.

Interestingly, both Bright Effects CFLs are 60-watt replacements. The swirly 
tube type rated 13 watts is supposed to last up to 7 years (3 hours/day), 
but the bulb-like type consumes 15 watts and lasts up to 5 years (probably 
because encasing the swirly tube in the bulb causes heat that shortens its 
life).

We will keep trying other brands that we see on our trips to the stores. 
Rhetorically, I wonder how much energy is wasted making poor quality lights, 
shopping for CFLs, throwing away lousy lights or returning them to the 
store?

Something to be thinking about is the California Solar Initiative's 
requirement for energy audits may someday require energy conservation and 
efficiency in conjunction with PV. The up-side is obvious. The down-side is 
that PV contractors are going to have to become or partner with energy 
conservation and efficiency providers. Given that lighting retrofits, 
insulation, etc. are cheaper and have a faster payback, customers and 
conservation vendors will likely defer PV until after conservation. Doing so 
makes sense, but deferring PV will not grow the industry or drive prices 
down.

Joel Davidson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Pratt" <dmpratt at sbcglobal.net>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 9:50 PM
Subject: RE: Compact Fluorescent Lamps [RE-wrenches]


>
> Joel,
>
> There are really only two scientific rating systems for light color and
> quality.
>
> Degrees Kelvin describes the light color. Lower numbers, 2700 to 3000 are
> rosy-yellow and mimic the standard 60-watt incandescent bulb most of us 
> grew
> up with. 5000 to 6000 is bluish, more like direct sunlight. These bluish
> bulbs make good reading lights, but they make people look like the night 
> of
> the living dead (IMHO).
>
> The Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measure of how closely the light 
> mimics
> actual noon sunlight by rendering colors accurately. On the CRI scale 100 
> is
> noon sunlight, 0 is a cave. Lights with a CRI of 80 or better are pretty
> nice all around. 90 or better is really great, but hard to find in a
> fluorescent. Your typical 4-foot cool white tube has a CRI of 62. "Warm
> white" fluorescents rate about 52, which is why you found your cheap cfl 
> so
> unpleasant. Many fluorescent manufacturers don't list the CRI for their
> lamps, which leads me to think they're probably well under 80. (They suck 
> in
> other words.)
>
> The major manufacturers DO list all this info in their lamp catalogs.
>
> Cheers,
> Doug Pratt
> DC Power Systems
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joel Davidson [mailto:joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net]
> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 10:58 AM
> To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
> Subject: Compact Fluorescent Lamps [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> Wrenches,
>
> CFL color names and standards are inconsistent. n:vision brand 14-watt 
> soft
> white CFLs (60W equivalent) emit light that gives a greenish tint to some
> white people's skin and to yellow fabrics and the n:vision 19-watt (75W
> equivalent) daylight CFL light is too harsh indoors and seems to flicker.
> What brand or model CFL emits a nice, warm (2300-2700 kelvin), yellow 
> light?
>
> Thanks in advance for your insights.
>
> Joel Davidson
>
>
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>
>
> 


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