LED/Incandescent lights

[Chuck Guzis]

On 02/06/2015 10:04 AM, Chuck Guzis wrote:

> I don't think much of Feit in any case. But you do find them in a lot of
> big-box stores.

I'll add a bit that the drop-in T12/T8-style replacement tubes don't 
seem to make a lot of sense in most cases.  A traditional fluorescent 
lamps emission pattern is pretty much omnidirectional, radially, at 
least.  So the typical 2-tube fluorescent fixture is painted white 
inside to reflect the light emitted from the side obscured by the 
fixture.  An LED is by nature highly directional, so it would seem to be 
a waste of energy and money to use a 23W LED replacement tube priced at 
several times the cost of a 32W T8 tube.

I purchased a box (30) of Philips 32W T8 lamps for less than $50 from my 
local Lowe's.  Given that we have some of the lowest electricity costs 
in the nation here in the Pacific Northwest, it didn't make sense to 
upgrade the fixtures to LED.  I'm probably not going to live long enough 
to recoup the investment from energy savings.    The ROI just isn't 
there for me.

Not that I don't believe in conserving when practical.  I spent more on 
a super-insulated water heater because I know that the big gray thing 
consumes a sizable portion of my electrical budget.  On the other hand, 
I use an inductive cooktop in the kitchen, not because it saves energy, 
but that it's so much nicer to cook with than the traditional electric 
resistive version.

Finally, I turn my computer gear off with a switch on a power strip 
because it's safer from a fire perspective to do so, not because I want 
to save on "zombie power".


--Chuck