Members BeeTL Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 I like having lots of lights on, but at a very low level. I just installed 3 dimmers today and wondered if they save energy, or of the rheostat just "bleeds off" energy from the light without actually reducing the consumption. I think I'd like a dimmer on every light in my place, especially if these's some energy savings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scary Bill Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 If it is a rheostat type, they dissipate the energy as heat, and really don't do much in actually reducing consumption. There is a type that will reduce power consumption by "blocking" (wrong word, can't think of right one now) part of the AC wave form. It acts kinda like a diode, its been 7+ years since I have talked about them. There is also a device you can put between the bulb and fixture(if it will fit) which is a diode. It works by blocking 50% or one side of the AC wave. They only make the lights a little dimmer than normal. If you really want to save on power buy florescent lights. They last longer than conventional and use less energy. There is more of an initial cost, but you save in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scary Bill Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 I also forgot: dimmers won't work well with florescent, they will flicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny_Crab Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 The link below explains the rheostat and the Triac type.The "normal" use electronics to chop off part of the AC sine wave. Due to cheap filtering and chopped waves going through wiring(think antenna of a transmitter) most dimmers can dump a lot of "buzz" into the air and into your bass or other sensitive electronics that amplify sound.http://home.howstuffworks.com/dimmer-switch1.htm They can save some $$ as current gets reduced from the chopping but not as much as the F kind of bulbs. 15 watts in a "regular" 60 watt incandescent bulb does not give you the light of 15 watts in a compact fluorescent. Your electric bill is based on kilowatt hours(1000 watts for how many hours = how much you used plus the FUEL OFFSET/ADJUSTMENT of course). Lower your watts = lower your bill. Spend the $$$ and get the compact fluorescents for every light you can even if you have to split the total cost between a few paychecks(I remember). Keep a few of the "regular" bulbs for when a fluorescent craters(use it until you get a replacement). Donate the rest to charity or someone who has not or will not change ever.If you need to, there are some that provide natural light(i.e. all the frequencies found in daylight) as opposed to that "fluorescent light" look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcrow Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 no..the load is the load..you cant change that...just bypass it **info**energy saving bulbs contain mercury and cant be disposed of in the usual waybeware if one breaks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SelenaBassGirl Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 I have one in my bedroom ceiling fan-and the other two are regular bulbs. It so far has outlasted the other two...but I also heard they may cause migraines. Uh, I suffer them sometimes. But have long before I got that bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pyralus Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 Lighting is a strange thing. The most efficient bulb to go with is a compact fluorescent, but fluorescent light is considered 'hard' (it's more towards white [hence colder] than halogen bulbs (which are closer to yellow). A daylight temperature bulb is actually slightly blue, and will give you color closest to that of day, but is less efficient than a fluorescent bulb. Dimmers can't touch a fluorescent bulb, and if you don't like bright light, the best economical thing to do is just get shades that give you the color you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny_Crab Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 no..the load is the load..you cant change that...just bypass it **info** energy saving bulbs contain mercury and cant be disposed of in the usual way beware if one breaks :confused: OK. The lamp filament does not change. What's going to it DOES get changed. On the electronic ones, we're chopping off a chunk of the waveform here which means the total current will be less and kWh will be less(less electricity is used). The analogy is your bass's amplifier. The speakers(LOAD) don't change BUT if you turn it down the amp draws less current and uses less electricity. Simply put one of these on your dimmer circuit OR your bass amp and try the above experiments. If that doesn't convince you or you don't like doing the math, get one of these to look at every aspect of your power use plus records it for you and does the math: http://ediweb.dranetz-bmi.com/dbmisite12-01/products/prodspec.cfm?prod=2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcrow Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 :confused: OK. The lamp filament does not change. What's going to it DOES get changed. On the electronic ones, we're chopping off a chunk of the waveform here which means the total current will be less and kWh will be less. ok i agree as i can see some engineering here...but the question was about using less electricity...where do the white areas of the sine curves go either to heat light or sound...energy change criteria...i think i mentioned the power saving bulbs earlier because the uk is beginning to realise they arent all that safe in some circumstances if they break etc on further reading i believe we may be talking at cross purposes unless you are saying dimmed bulbs acutally use less current...which i would be happy to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny_Crab Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 on further reading i believe we may be talking at cross purposes unless you are saying dimmed bulbs acutally use less current...which i would be happy to knowIf the dimmer is an electronic one, yes they use less current and so can save you some $$$. The 2 places I CANNOT use CFL's(dining table 3-bulb lamp aka not-rich-family chandelier, lamps in pot hanger over wife's kitchen island) both have electronic dimmers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groutt Posted January 6, 2008 Members Share Posted January 6, 2008 Nothing to do with the original question, but I saw "dimmable compact fluorescents" at the store yesterday. I wonder how well they work? Expensive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeeTL Posted January 7, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2008 If the dimmer is an electronic one, yes they use less current and so can save you some $$$. The 2 places I CANNOT use CFL's(dining table 3-bulb lamp aka not-rich-family chandelier, lamps in pot hanger over wife's kitchen island) both have electronic dimmers. That's good to know. I run the lights at 25% most nights, so that's three tracks with 9 bulbs total x 60 watts x .20 = 140 watts vs. 540 or so. I'm sure the math isn't that simple, but it's nice to know there's some savings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scary Bill Posted January 7, 2008 Members Share Posted January 7, 2008 About the nasty stuff in LEDs, they actually do contain small amounts of poisonous stuff like arsenic, ect. Don't burn them and inhale the fumes:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted January 7, 2008 Members Share Posted January 7, 2008 For most homes, lion's share of electrical energy goes into the fridge, and then the furnace/AC units. So, if you're energy concious, and own the place you're in, and either the fridge and/or furnace/AC units are older and low efficiency ones, it is worth looking into replacing them with EnergyStar high efficiency units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted January 7, 2008 Members Share Posted January 7, 2008 The home I just bought has CFL's in a couple of the fan lights, set up with dimmers. They seem to work fine. I know regular long-tube flourescents won't work well on dimmers. Does the type of dimmer matter for flourescents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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