I am sure this has been discussed before, but I cant find where. I am satill trying to pinch pennies over here, and I keep reading that switching over to florescent lightening will save lots of money. Supposedly those new little ones that sort of look like a corkscrew to me, will last a super long time, and save bunches of money. But healthwise, are they better for you or worse for you? I dont want to go backwards here. Saving money is all well and good, but if it cost us our health, its not worth the effort... Thanks for any opinions. greatly appreciate all your help.

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

As they contain small amounts of mercury they have to be carefully disposed of. Some states have made it illegal for them to be disposed of in ordinary garbage collections and they must be recycled.

Can you get them in full spectrum lighting? If not, try to avoid them. Some epileptics have problems with fluorescents as well due to the flickering of the light - it can precipitate seizures.

The best way of saving electricity is to turn off at the wall all appliances that remain on standby - TVs, sound systems etc. This will save 10% pa for a start. And go to bed earlier so that all the lights can be turned off!

I bought oodles of them in equivalents of 40W, 60W and
100W, [over a dozen boxes of 3 each] and really like them,
except for the fact that there's a slight delay before they
come on. But I'm getting used to it.

I've replaced all but one lamp and am waiting patiently
for that old bulb to burn out. One reason I like them is
that they don't put out Heat like the old bulbs did, which
should make for less heat during the Summer A/C season,
thus saving even more money on A/C. 8)

I was lucky - Duke Power offered specials months ago,
thru my Hardware Store for $.99 per bulb. That's why I
bought so many at one time. DPower has made/had
the same deal in every part of N. KY now.

__________________
May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

Well, hmmm that might change a mind. The foster daughter is epileptic, so I woudnt want anything that would bring on seizures. I dont know if i can get full spectrum lighting, but I am going to check it out. I tried walking around at nite without lights on, but when you have an old hard of hearing black lab living with you, that tends to cause disasters!!! Thank God I have all this fat to cushion the falls!!!LOL It's a miracle that I havent broken anything yet. I have been able to slowly get my electric bill down below 300 dollars, but with summer coming, I need drastic measures. Already got rid of the dryer. I dont use the dish washer, and make sure everything is shut off before I go anywhere. Still looking for an attic fan, hopefully I can get the ex to install it. Now, I came across an interesting site yesterday...free air conditioning..... can I get opinions??? I'm thinking this would be a good investment. Do any of you have any knowledge of this stuff?

https://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

As with most everything else there are plus and minuses.

PLUSES:
For same amount of light they use about � of the power of a regular lamp.
Cost is now down to being a realistic alternative. (1 - $2)
They come in whatever color you want. (Red, green, blue and also if you prefer various shades of white)
You can get a warm white, cool white, or a daylight.
The warm white has a definite reddish tint.
The cool white (the standard one and most readily available) is a whiter light but still a little on the red side, but is good for general lighting.
The daylight as it name implies is closer to natural light, best for reading and close work.
The flicker problem is greatly reduced because of the electronic �ballast� old style florescent used a transformer/magnetic ballast.

MINUSES:
They are an inside lamps and do not like the cold, if used outside they may not turn on in cold weather.
When first turned on they take a minute or two to warm up to full brightness.
They do not like to be turned on and off frequently; this will greatly reduce their life. They are best used in lamps that are turned on and left on for long periods of time. For a closet or bathroom the old incandescent is still the best.
Some of the compact fluorescents do not like to be used with the base pointing up, as in a ceiling fixture, the heat from the lamp raises and cooks the electronics in the base. Making an aluminum foil shade to go between the lamp and its base helps eliminate this problem plus it directs more of the light downward.
As Morgen stated all fluorescent do contain a tiny amount of mercury, and any amount of mercury is enough to drive some environmentalist absolutely nuts.

So bottom line is any lamp that you turn on and leave on for an extended amount of time is a good candidate for a fluorescent and any lamp that is turned on for only a few minutes at a time, stick with the old cheepie incandescent.

I pretty much agree with what "Mad Scientest" has said, but I can make
a small addition:

About 30 years ago I contracted to do some engineering development
work on a new electronic ballast system to replace the electro-magnetic
system then being used generally for the long flourescent tubes. 'seems
the government was mandating the change, but without specifics. I
inferred that they were quietly trying to get away from the 60 Hz
magnetic field that is pretty strong within 3 or 4 feet of the devices.

At that time we were using the ISM (13+ mHz) as the only frequency
that the FCC would allow to provide an electronic 'turn-on' ballast for
a gas filled bulb with the same general size and shape as the conventional
incandescent bulbs still in use today. I was able to supply a good
functional system with excellent efficiency, but was unable to solve
stringent requirements of harmonic radiation, so that effort was dropped
after a couple years or so.

In the devices that are being pushed today (little curly cues)
the frequencies are well above 60 Hz, but I don't know exactly what
has been allowed in terms of electro-magnetic interferrence. I have
observed, however, that a lot of radiation from all kinds of thing is now
allowed that would have been prohibited 30 years ago by the FCC.

Bottom line: There is now a lot of concern about 60 Hz magnetic
fields. The new devices reduce the 60 Hz problem, but what about
the frequencies that THEYemit? The incandescent bulbs are
very inefficient, but if the wiring to them is properly done they are
very safe from the electromagnetic radiation point of view.

I am passing on the current fad. I am starting to use more and more
LEDs for lighting. I'm betting on them as the best at this time.

__________________
Imagined knowledge kills learning . . .
The cure for boredom is curiosity...there is no cure for curiosity..

Ive been thinking about going back to the candles and the kerosene lamps... Seems like they were the safest bet. I dont turn on lights during the day normally, I have all my curtains open to let the sun in. So if the concept that they need to stay on a long time is valid, then it would almost be a waste for me.

Ok, so you genuises. check out that site I posted about the free air conditioning, and tell me if that would really work....



https://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

Just be careful if you use candles - some people have found that candle use can totally eliminate an electricity bill - due to the house burning down accidentally

Yes I know, and I am very cautious with any type of fire.... my kids think Im paranoid!!! But, I am still considering using them more, and also using the kerosene lanterns.... Is there a way to tell which way is more expensive.... For awhile, I started using a flash light when I had to get up at night, but keep thinking that batteries would be more expensive in the long run and not sure how to dispose of them safely once they are dead... Supposedly they arent good for the environment either.... Early bedtime is beginning to sound like the best bet!!!! Just not tonite, Have to make a birthday cake for my granddaughter!!! good nite all hope you have a pleasant weekend!

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

That�s a cool site. The techniques there would work, and I am sure there are people actually using them, however most people would probably be scared away by the up front cost, even though in the long run they could probably save money.

Mad Sci, yeah I thought the whole idea was actually pretty cool... Even living down here in Texas, it looks like I can do well with this set up..... As far as the price.... Last year my electric bill averaged probably 500 to 550 a month... At the end of the summer, I was hitting 600 dollar a month bills, and thats with having my a/c set on 74 degrees... Its not like its freezing in my house. I figure even if I sink two thousand dollars into that, it would pay for itself and give me a savings in less then a year.

A friend of mine also was telling me about this space age paint, that he painted his roof with, and basically cut his electric bill in half???? This is the site I glanced at today... I keep wondering how healthy can all this be tho??? More reading I suppose!!! Still muddleing thru the free a/c site!!!

https://www.hytechsales.com/housepaint.html

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

I don't have epilepsy but one day while in the drug store I was standing under a flickering fluorescent light and it dropped me to the floor! As soon as they moved me away from it I was fine. As I started to approach the light it started to happen again.

Arrowwind, that would scare me... I was reading an article yesterday about this lady who is allergic to the electromagnetic fields(??) Seems she had problems with cell phones, microwaves, all kinds of stuff, had to have her walls and windows coated with some special stuff... Can you imagine??? I just dont remember where I was reading it at. I wonder how many of us are sick because of all this new technology.

__________________
God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

Just for reference:

Approximate efficiencies for a few light sources:

Incandescent 0.7 to 2.6%
Fluorescent 7 to 15%
LED 4 to 22%
Arc lamp 5 to 22%
Sodium gas 22%

However, a problem with LEDs is a somewhat picky
drive requirement. Driving from solar, which is not
a hard fixed voltage source, would greatly reduce
system efficiency. 12 VDC is also awkward. Other
forms are mature and will not improve, but LEDs
are still in development and improving both in terms
of efficiency and cost. Also, since LEDs run on DC
they do not create any electro-magnetic radiation--
a big pluss in my view

. . . wont even comment on
life and ruggedness.

Just have a look at those LEDs illuminating the tail
lights in new model cars

__________________
Imagined knowledge kills learning . . .
The cure for boredom is curiosity...there is no cure for curiosity..

I found the insulating paint site quite interesting, from their description I have no doubt that it would work.
However the one thing I found missing it their reports is just how well does it work.
Would like to see how a wall painted with their paint compares to a similar wall with standard fiberglass insulation.