paoconnell ([info]paoconnell) wrote,
@ 2008-03-29 17:32:00
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Earth Hour 2008...
Seems to be mostly a symbolic gesture. Turn off your exterior and interior lights for an hour, then turn them back on. A Time article about whether this matters is at

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1725947,00.html?cnn=yes

It would make more sense if unnecessary exterior lights on buildings were turned off permanently. I can think of any of a number of tall buildings, mostly offices, that could benefit their power bills by removing architectural lighting other than aircraft warning lights.

It would also make sense if more people could replace some of their incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent or even LED bulbs. I recently replaced the bulbs in a ceiling fan in my apartment with fluorescent bulbs. The fluorescents draw a quarter of the power of the bulbs they replaced, and they'll last a lot longer than incandescents. Don't give me the "omigod mercury" thing either, there's about a microgram of mercury in each bulb, and the phosphors are more of a problem than the mercury.

I have an ulterior motive about cutting down excess lighting. I have a modestly priced telescope. If less light is wasted, I can see the stars, planets and galaxies. But then, so can you. How long has it been since you've been able to see the stars on a clear night? How many of you have seen the Milky Way on a clear night? It's wonderful.

Discuss, please.

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[info]stinaleigh
2008-03-29 11:03 pm UTC (link)
My biggest issue with the compact fluorescent lights is the flicker. I have used them, but find my eyes get tired quicker. I even notice it with the Ott-light I use for crafting.

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[info]paoconnell
2008-03-30 01:51 am UTC (link)
These bulbs were some generic brand sold at Target. They don't seem to flicker, except in the first couple of seconds when they're warming up. I've seen others that flicker badly, but maybe the technology is better now.

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[info]desdenova
2008-03-29 11:53 pm UTC (link)
Well, I will make the purely symbolic gesture of turning off my lights while I watch _Torchwood_ on my TV and look at Internets on my computer. It's not like I'll be saving energy, but like the linked article says, it's a political statement.

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[info]desdenova
2008-03-29 11:55 pm UTC (link)
Oh, and since I already replaced most of my incandescent bulbs w/ CFL, I *really* won't be saving energy by turning them off....

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LED light bulbs
(Anonymous)
2008-03-30 04:22 pm UTC (link)
You can find some good basic information on LED light bulbs at www.DonsGreenStore.com , they also sell a few different bulbs at very good prices.

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Re: LED light bulbs
[info]paoconnell
2008-03-30 04:53 pm UTC (link)
At this point (after a little research), LED bulbs are pretty expensive for the light output, but might be suitable for locations where it's hard to replace the bulb and only a little bit of light is needed, or which require that bulb to last a long time even when physically shocked. Example: a light socket above a staircase that requires careful placement of a ladder to change the bulb.
Second case: I have a MiniMag with an LED bulb module, and a headlamp with a single bright white LED instead of a lightbulb. I use them for caving and hiking, as filament bulbs can't handle being dropped too often, and LEDs have far fewer problems.

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[info]culfinriel
2008-03-31 07:52 pm UTC (link)
How long has it been since you've been able to see the stars on a clear night?
Forever. Ok, since I was in the Rockies in Colorado end of last June.
How many of you have seen the Milky Way on a clear night?
Used to all the time growing up. Can't even find it mostly where I've lived the last years.

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[info]paoconnell
2008-04-01 12:51 am UTC (link)
You can see the Milky Way in New Mexico on a clear night, but only if you're a good distance from a town. Much easier to get away from towns in that state. True of much of Colorado also,(eastern plains). Minnesota isn't quite as scope friendly unless it's up in the northern part of the state where fewer people live.

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