Anyone else hate the new light bulbs?

[chopped]

I dont want to High Jack the thread but I have a LED question here is my link
Using a LED light on a Well Pump (glowing)

 

[Egbert]

CFLs are pathetic on many levels. Their rise is solely due to the power of political crazies and has little/nothing to do with consumer desire. Their light is horrible. The flicker is a nuisance. Breakage has a list of instructions - beginning with vacating the area - to comply with hazmat requirements.

Need more?

Energy efficient light bulbs could pose UV-risk to skin, trigger migraines | Fox News

I've bought cases of incandescent bulbs, and will purchase even more before they all disappear. The new LEDs will be the wave of the future but, for now, the prices are way inflated. CFLs will die out quickly and be relegated to the status of 8-track tapes.

 

[California]

My local utility distributes CFLs at cost because pushing energy conservation to free up capacity is far cheaper than constructing new generating plants. Seems to me a rational business decision.

I agree, CFLs are less than ideal and will go the way of 8-tracks as soon as LEDs are economically reasonable.

I don't read Fox 'news'. Too many political crazies.

 

[ultrarunner]

My 100 year old neighbor called me over last night... she listens to the radio a lot and the reception became awful...

Found the culprit to be a CFL bulb going out in the next room.

Glad I was able to help...

 

[k0ua]

My 100 year old neighbor called me over last night... she listens to the radio a lot and the reception became awful...

Found the culprit to be a CFL bulb going out in the next room.

Glad I was able to help...

Most of the CFL's are pretty clean Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) wise but some are worse than others. As an Amatuer Radio Operator, I am very keen on keeping RFI generating devices out of the home. I have had a couple I had to toss because they were "filthy". Another huge source of RFI is small switching power supplys for consumer electronics and chargers. Switching technology power supply's have just about totally overcome Linear powers supply's. Most are fine, but some are not. I have yet to try my first LED bulb yet, but I have heard some of them have nasty power supply's in them too. The cost is keeping me from just "trying" one. The old incandescent were always nice and "clean".. simple too.

James K0UA

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I bought an LED floodlight to try, haven't put it in yet.

 

[California]

have yet to try my first LED bulb yet, but I have heard some of them have nasty power supply's

If RFI is an issue don't bother with the uncertified Hong Kong LEDs on Ebay. But by far the worst one I have was from Home Depot and was recommended by Consumer Reports. It trashed reception on the modern flat-panel tv at home - from anywhere in the house. I brought it out here to the ranch where it doesn't bother the 20 year old CRT television but my wife complains it changes brightness whenever it wants.

In summary: this seems to still be bleeding-edge technology that hasn't settled down yet, and expensive too.

 

[k0ua]

If RFI is an issue don't bother with the uncertified Hong Kong LEDs on Ebay. But by far the worst one I have was from Home Depot and was recommended by Consumer Reports. It trashed reception on the modern flat-panel tv at home - from anywhere in the house. I brought it out here to the ranch where it doesn't bother the 20 year old CRT television but my wife complains it changes brightness whenever it wants.

In summary: this seems to still be bleeding-edge technology that hasn't settled down yet, and expensive too.

Do you know if the Cree brand is good quality? I sure don't want one without emission standards, or one with a power supply that will cook in 3 months, and drop 15 to 20 bucks down the drain for a dang light bulb.. If I really though they would last as long as the box says and operate cleanly, they would be a good investment. I just don't want to take any risks..

 

[California]

I found my receipt, since the bulbs just shows 13 watts 850 lumens: The LED that has bad RFI is Ecosmart 400 674 from Home Depot in 8/2012. Hopefully a year later they have tamed the RFI and variable brightness issues. Dunno anything about Cree.

 

[SPIKER]

Do you know if the Cree brand is good quality? I sure don't want one without emission standards, or one with a power supply that will cook in 3 months, and drop 15 to 20 bucks down the drain for a dang light bulb.. If I really though they would last as long as the box says and operate cleanly, they would be a good investment. I just don't want to take any risks..

CREE is one of the biggest LED manufactures out there, multinational company and not the cheap stuff, they are near top of line when it comes to optoelectronics LED tech.

Mark

 

[bcp]

But does CREE make the entire bulb, or just the LED itself?

Bruce

 

[kco]

Do you know if the Cree brand is good quality? I sure don't want one without emission standards, or one with a power supply that will cook in 3 months, and drop 15 to 20 bucks down the drain for a dang light bulb.. If I really though they would last as long as the box says and operate cleanly, they would be a good investment. I just don't want to take any risks..

I received three Par 20, 9w, soft white bulbs from Hong Kong this week. The total cost was $16(Canadian, i.e. 5.33 each). The colour and brightness are fine. Time will tell regarding longevity. But the price is reasonable for testing.

Three weeks before, I also replaced three warm white CFL's with 12w soft white LED's on sale from Canadian Tire for $15 each($45 total). We liked these and that is why was decided to test the Hong Kong PAR 20's.

We haven't noticed interference on the TV, cordless phones or cordless headphones. After reading about possible interference in this thread I tested TV wireless headphones( I think 900mhz) and Bluetooth headphones and tablet(2.4 Ghz?) near the two types of LED bulbs. There was no interference from either.

 

[SPIKER]

But does CREE make the entire bulb, or just the LED itself?

Bruce

Cree LED Consumer Light Bulbs
yep

 

[flyerdan]

While you're waiting for the bugs to be worked out and the price to come down on all this whiz-bang new tech, better stock up on 60w and 40w bulbs as the green energy crooks are having them banned at the end of the year.
Has anyone tried those curly-q things in the trouble lights used in the shop for under hood and vehicle work? They used to make rough service bulbs for these that didn't blow the filament when jostled, wish I'd got a couple more cases when Harbor Freight had them.

 

[DarkBlack]

My local utility distributes CFLs at cost because pushing energy conservation to free up capacity is far cheaper than constructing new generating plants. Seems to me a rational business decision.
.

Incandescent bulb peak usage is at different daily timing of grid system peak demand.
They have nothing to do with capacity that require building new plants.

 

[cqaigy2]

Incandescent bulb peak usage is at different daily timing of grid system peak demand.
They have nothing to do with capacity that require building new plants.

You have grid system peak demand but the poster said something about generation. Peak demand on grid and generation facilities aren't the same thing. BTW incandescent bulb peak usage, is at peak demand for both grid and generation systems.

 

[California]

Incandescent bulb peak usage is at different daily timing of grid system peak demand.
They have nothing to do with capacity that require building new plants.

Ever heard of hydroelectric generation? It can be operated very demand-sensitive unlike a coal plant.

Around here (N California) every drop of water conserved is needed by the farmers, or the salmon, depending on your priorities. Both lose when the water goes through the turbine and out to the ocean. Any energy use avoided via conservation is good news. And helps keep our rates down.

(We'll be paying for the costs of Rancho Seco - the nuclear plant that had such high operating costs that they soon pulled the plug - for 50 or 100 years beyond its last day generating. We're a little gun-shy of new plant proposals. )

 

[DarkBlack]

You have grid system peak demand but the poster said something about generation. Peak demand on grid and generation facilities aren't the same thing. BTW incandescent bulb peak usage, is at peak demand for both grid and generation systems.

No.
Get some of your incandescent usage TOD vs grid system peak #'s, and we'll talk. Doesn't work like that where I live.
Also, where I live, new plants are built when others are shutdown, or system demand exceeds capacity. That happens during the day here-not night, almost always during hot summer and long days when lighting is at minimum- not at night when incandescents are on in peoples homes.

 

[cqaigy2]

No.
Get some of your incandescent usage TOD vs grid system peak #'s, and we'll talk. Doesn't work like that where I live.
Also, where I live, new plants are built when others are shutdown, or system demand exceeds capacity. That happens during the day here-not night, almost always during hot summer and long days when lighting is at minimum- not at night when incandescents are on in peoples homes.

I don't need numbers, it stands to reason, when i put more load on the system, they open the gates up to compensate. When i use less power, they turn the gates down so less water goes thru the system. Unless they are selling it someplace else. See, that make sense doesn't it?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Peak demand here is late afternoon. Most incandescent bulb usage is residential which is much later, and is insignificant to peak load. Summer AC load is what causes the biggest strain on generation/transmission in my area. Maybe different parts of the country are different, but I doubt it.

I've been in the local grid control center, everything is run primarily by cost, but obviously capacity and maintenance issues also come into play. I'm not too familiar with how the hydro plants operate with regard to how often they change their water flow, but I know of some hydro plants with upper and lower lakes. They produce in the day for peak shaving, then at night, when the usage is low, they pump water back uphill to their storage lake for the next day peak usage.

One of the reasons utilities want the smart meter is so they can charge time of day fees. higher rates during the high peak day, lower at night.