Re: Compact Fluorescent Noise

["Steve" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Dave Houston" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4549ed2a.327419046@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>As you pointed out
>>earlier, X-10 users of CFL's have to factor in the cost of filters so the
>>equations have lots of hidden inputs.
>
> Insteon users will also need filters with noisy CFLs.

That is why I tentatively decided to go with Z-Wave

> And there are opportunity costs. LED lights are improving and becoming
> competively priced with CFLs. Sandia Labs has a method of converting more
> of
> the heat from an incandescent into visible light, greatly improving the
> efficiency. People who've invested $$$ in CFLs may regret it when
> something
> more economical (and less polluting) comes along, not to mention the
> possibility of "free, clean and constant energy."

Damn I home so.  The initial owner/builder of this house had a recessed
light fetish...42 of them in the house, each with a 65 watt R30 in it.  The
CFL equivalents work quite well except that they need to warm up for about
15 seconds to reach full brightness.  Thats not a good idea in the kitchen.
LED based bulbs are not quite up to that level of lumens and format yet, and
may not be for some time.  For now I am faced with using CFLs, larger power
bill, or retrofitting surface mounted long tube floursecents.  Given the
WAF, I think its the wallet issue for now.

> Of course, we all know that the DOE programs to encourage (and subsidize)
> CFL development don't cost anything. ;) Well, maybe Ph. Ds who've spent
> their life in government funded programs don't realize that but the less
> exalted do.

Prop 87 in CA is more of the same for reaseach money.  So. Cal Edison is
really pushing CFL, giving them away/exchanging bulb for bulb.

> Oh, and the cost of returning a warrantied CFL is likely to approach or
> exceed the purchase price even using the mail with free pick-up. If you
> choose to just dispose of it, it constitutes hazardous waste.

I had missed that part of CFLs until recently.  Local trash company does not
seem to care.


Our story is that we bought (vice built) our new house.  Could not pass on
the the $200K price savings.  I had planned a hardwired HA installation to
rival Bruce.  However, I am now faced with retrofitting a large single story
house on a slab with a hip roof.   It has no security or network wiring,
only 6 RG-6 drops, no provision for the cable modem/router, and the phone
wiring is daisy chained.  This in a 6 month old home high end home!
802.11n, Elk, and Zwave and here I come.  Going to open the walls in the
finished garage to mount the cans and get some wiring into the attic.