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Re: Question Re Use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)
2009-10-07 11:14:51 UTC
This is an old thread, but I think you may have reached a misleading conclusion.
For starters, I question the Mythbusters comparison of a 10-watt CF bulb to a 90-watt incandescent bulb. The most optimistic manufacturer's claim I found to substitute for a 90-watt incandescent is a 23-watt CF bulb. This is 2.3 times as much energy usage as Mythbusters alleges. (In my opinion, Mythbusters values sensationalism over accuracy; they are a TV show, not a scientific laboratory.)
I also note a subtle but crucial factor--you describe saving *energy*, while most people are interested in saving *money*. The key difference is the cost of replacement light bulbs. The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute found that the lifespan of a CF bulb is profoundly impacted by how often it is turned on and off. In their tests, a CF bulb on a 5-minute switch cycle lasts only 15% as long as its rated hours. So if you typically use a CF bulb for 5 minutes at a time, you'll use seven times as many bulbs as the package claims--and that adds up to a lot of money! LRC used 440 bulbs in their test, under laboratory conditions described in the report. As you describe it, Mythbusters seems to have used a sample size of just 1 CF bulb--apparently without even a control CF bulb for comparison. From my knowledge of statistics, it's impossible to extrapolate a comparison with an uncontrolled sample size of 1, but Mythbusters somehow does so to arrive at their sensational "busted" conclusion.
So while you will obviously save energy by turning off a compact fluorescent bulb when you leave the room, it may cost you money! And I'm not sure Mythbusters is doing anything but generating more myths.
I suggest you consult the Lighting Research Center's detailed testing results here: http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/nlpip/publicationDetails.asp?id=114&type=1 -- see "Specifier Reports: Screwbase Compact Fluorescent Lamp Products", a 79-page free PDF listing their extensive lab results.
Best regards,
-Tom Jones
Tom Jones
United States
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