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[tbaleno]

Some of the registered users suggested removing them so they could surf a little faster. They still show up for guests.

I will also be removing the ads as well. Only the forum home page will have the banners and ads and stuff for registered users.

[Hot Georgia]

I've had terrible luck with CFL's.
I think the last time I mentioned about this I had just replaced the flood for our flag with a CFL rated for outdoor use. It lasted 4 days until burning out so I put the old 60W regular flood back and been there since.
I don't know exactly what the problem is, whether it's electrical spikes or what....but mine burn out in short as couple days time, and as long as around 5-6 months. Most last 2-3 months.
Except in a single solitary instance- we have a 3-bulb 6ft fixture in our back yard with 3 outdoor CFL's...inside glass globes but still well vented which have lasted over a year, turning on most every night.

Otherwise my CFL's are not put in a heat-trapping enclosure like a globe or anything so they have the required ventilation.
I've mostly bought the GE brand but have tried others as well.
Sometimes they work one day then quit for no apparent reason. Other times an electric arc can be heard inside the base, then it dims and goes out.

Somehow the containers for the last batch of 8 CFL's got tossed and can't return them, so I guess I'm just "out".

[xcel]

Hi All:

___Added 6 CFL’s to my homes lighting this evening. Another 6 next week and the week after should just about finish it off

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[CoasterToasterXB]

2 to 3 years ago we changer every possible light that we could. Our energy plan changed by 30 to 40 dollars lower per month,

[Excellerator]

Yeah, every light in our apartment uses flourescent bulbs. I kid you not, there are a couple that we've had for probably five or more years and we use them every day. The ones that are sold in "dollar stores" or similar low-priced bulbs burn out very easily, though.

All of our flashlights use LEDs, by the way. I've bought hand-cranked ones that lose their charging power over time, and I've tried the ones that use the "Faraday" technology where you shake it violently for five minutes to use. But they put out so little light it's not even worth it. It's better just buying a regular LED flashlight and using rechargeable batteries.

And here's a great site I think you guys would like reading. Very informative... http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/

[xcel]

Hi All:

___And CleanMPG is a little behind the 8-ball here! Start replacing those std. bulbs with CFL’s at your earliest convenience

CleanMPG, an Energy Star partner. Change a light, change the World.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[msirach]

I have changed all of mine except for a few decorator bulbs. The price of those have finally started coming down. I saw a show on Discovery last week that tested standard incandescent ,led, cfl, fluorescent, and metal halide. They tested life and power consumption. I am going to order a "Kill A Watt".
Looks like users in Southern Illinois need to use a candle. Power prices in Illinois are deregulated as of Jan. 1 and our power price increase is about 55%.

[xcel]

Hi Msirach:

___We were running ~ $0.085/kWh for the first 400 kW and ~ $0.065 for anything higher + service and delivery charges but are expecting rates in the $0.09 - 0.10/kWh range this month looking forward. I do not know if there will be the non-summer, greater then 400 kWh rate anymore as this is what I was hoping to charge a future PHEV on We are still a bargain compared to California and in line with much of the Midwest but the rate hikes throughout Illinois are not going to be pretty for many …

Post 2006 Retail Electric Service Tariffs – Supply Charges

Supply Charges applicable beginning January 2, 2007 and extending
through the May 2008 Billing Period.

Customer Group or Subgroup	Summer Supply Charge (1) (cents/kWh)	Nonsummer Supply Charge (1) (cents/kWh)
Residential Non-Electric Space Heating	7.320	7.149
Residential Electric Space Heating	4.935	4.763
Watt-hour Non-Electric Space Heating	7.475	7.265
Small Load Non-Electric Space Heating	7.370	7.217
Medium Load Non-Electric Space Heating	7.275	7.177
Nonresidential Electrical Space Heating	7.027	6.914
Dusk to Dawn Lighting	2.659	3.176
General Lighting	6.948	6.926

Notes: (1) Uncollectibles factor applied pursuant to Rate BES-R, Rate BES-NRB, Rate BES-L or Rider PPO-MVM

___I work for Exelon Nuclear (parent of ComEd) so have a somewhat vested interest in the pricing statements above but do not know exactly what they will be until next week? The ComEd rate pages posted above spell out a rate schedule far different then what the media has been reporting?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[RH77]

Our power options in Kansas City aren't deregulated, so we're stuck with Aquila where I'm located. You may recall some corporate shenanegans that nearly bankrupted the company while higher-ups embezzled funds -- so now we get to pay for that!

But, the heat-pump is the most efficient heating system in our toolbox, but useless under 40F. The backup system is a very inefficient natural-gas burner. We bought the house new a couple years ago and the HVAC system was already installed. The EnergyGuide for the gas portion is almost buried in the "stupidly inefficient" category -- but too new to cost-effectively replace it. Buggah! It the meantime, heat conservation is the key: insulating blinds at night, opened to let the sunlight heat the house (when the sun decides to come out -- it's been icy, snowy, and generally gray the last 3 weeks. Anyway the sun heating the indoors produces the greenhouse effect), programmable thermostat, a sweater, and some supplemetal electrical heat in the garage offsets insulating losses there.

During the summer, the A/C (same heat-pump unit) is overworked and struggles to keep the house below the threshold of comfort. That's where the lights come in...

90% of our household bulbs are the Type-A florescents. An instant energy savings and decrease in waste heat was realized. They've paid for themselves in the fact I don't get baked under the 5, 60W bulbs at the dinner table . I can get a brighter bulb and still use a significantly less amount of NRG.

The initial investment is worth every penny.

RH77

Edit: I delved back into the thread and have a few comments: I've been using CFLs from CostCo outdoors for about 7 months. Since a light-sensing automatic sensor doesn't work (the bulb flickers until it gets completely dark), they're left on all the time and they've lasted this long without problem: temp ranges = 110F in the summer to -1*F so far this Winter. The energy saved by leaving them on outside vs. turning them on and off should be offset. As far as the harshness of the light, you get used to it. My wife really disliked the lights at first, but she has been quoted to say, "You know, I don't really mind these new lights and have gotten used to them -- and they're saving us a bundle...right Rick?" Accompanied by that look: you know the one. The only trouble: having 1 bulb in a pack of 5 not work at all. That was a pain to return. Otherwise, the effort is worth it. We donated the old incandescents to needy families that aren't able to afford much, instead of pitching them -- it already took a large amount of energy to produce the glass, so they have to be used until dead.