Quote:
Originally Posted by PeepoRsheep
I'm one of those that has vision problems with those new bulbs. And the hazardour waste issue baffles me. If they're such environmentalists, why don't they get this? You're going to same some electricity to save the planet while polluting the planet with hazarous waste? Typical liberal logic.
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Again, use whatever you like for light. Use a candle. Use a stadium lighting array. Whatever. And I can't speak for anyone else, but personally I don't really care about "saving the planet." That's bunk anyway. The planet doesn't need saving. It's not going anywhere. Of course the human species has certainly demonstrated the capacity to destroy itself, but the planet would still be here regardless. The planet has been through a hell of a lot more than we can dish out. It's still here. So, why don't we bag the "save the planet" thing, and be honest--it's not "save the planet," it's "save ourselves." And I'm convinced we are not capable of doing saving ourselves. So it's moot.
The ONLY reason I use these new bulbs is because of the savings on electricity, which frees up money that I either don't have to earn or that I can blow on something more palatable than the government or power company shareholders.
As I said earlier, do the math. An LED bulb (for instance) is running on 3 or 6 watts rather than 60 or 100 watts. Not bright enough for you? Hell, put in five of them--it would still save on the electricity bill. Also, the argument that it is more costly because of the higher initial outlay is bunk. Use you head. Let's talk LED bulbs (LED contains no mercury), since everyone is so worried that CFL bulbs will ruin the earth with the same chemicals that is in much of the technology they regularly use in everyday life.
Here is the math for LED vs Incandescent:
Incandescent bulb:
Lifetime: 2000 hours (that's being optimistic).
Initial Cost: Let's say average of 2 dollars a pop.
Cost in usage: 60 watts -- $0.20 per kWh (as an average)
LED bulb:
Lifetime: around 50000 hours.
Initial Cost: around 35 dollars.
Cost in usage: 6 watts -- $0.20 per kWh (as an average)
For simplicity, let's work with 50000 hours of usage so we can compare the cost per LED bulb used--so, how many incandescent bulbs would I use and how much would it cost compared to ONE LED bulb???
LED: Cost = (50,000 hrs)($35.00/1 bulb)(1 bulb/50,000 hrs) + ($0.20/1kWh)(.006kW)(50,000h)=
$95.00 dollars spent.
Incandescent: Cost = (50,000 hrs)($2.00/1 bulb)(1 bulb/2,000 hrs) + ($0.20/1kWh)(.060kW)(50,000h)=
$650.00 dollars spent.
There you go--a savings of
$555.00 over the course of just one installed LED bulb. How many light bulbs are in your home? Tell me you're not saving money in the long run by using LED lighting...
Mathematical side note:
I can hear some of you already with the comment "yeah... you are being deceptive! You'd have to run the lights 24 hours a day for like 6 years in your analysis!"
Okay, fine. Granted. Rhetorical mathematics!
But the numbers ARE legitimate. If you want to further analyze it, you'll find the break-even point is within a year even if you are conservative with your usage. After that, the LED light bulb is saving you money (compared to incandescent) every time you turn it on. So, once again, I claim that it is not a political issue; it is not a liberal vs conservative issue; it is not a "green" thing; it's logic-based economic wisdom.
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I'm stocking up.
2012? is that like Y2k?
