#110 – Bulb
Posted on May 18, 2012 at 12:00 am by Chris
Chapter: Comic
I think CFL bulbs will be replaced in the coming years by LED housed in a traditionally shaped bulb. There will be this weird generation of kids that will say “Remember when lightbulbs were all twisty like an ice cream cone?” But the people that came before and after will think of bulbs as the old fashioned shape.
Also, Hugs Bison shirts are back in stock!
Tags: energy, idea, lightbulb
For now, the industry is working on the ‘standard’ A19 shape of bulb (the 19 means how many eighths of an inch across) and the ability to work with old sixties’ SCR dimmers, without putting nasty harmonics back through the power lines, or flickering and causing migraines. New designs will be whatever shape works best for the job, like a tubular or disk-shaped emitter, as long as it can dissipate the heat. Bad decisions in choosing a bulb will be with us for a while, since three years or more is the lifetime target for LEDs. Exciting times!
New ideas also do not last as long.
Some people with bad wiring or damp seem to have that problem. But new ideas last just as long or longer for me.
“New ideas also do not last as long.”
So true, I dated mine and they only last a little longer than conventional. They are also expensive, consume more energy than advertized, and I’ve had one catch fore and two start emitting large amounts of smoke. The disposal rules are also crazy.
In short, don’t have new new ideas. Stock up on old new ideas and wait until they perfect LED ideas.
Interesting, my ideas usually take the form of a sweet potato taped to a ocelot.
Our house is already moving to LED bulbs. They aren’t quite as bright, but that doesn’t bother us. Also, we have no dimmer switches, so no problems there. And, don’t have to worry about all the toxic chemicals in the CFL bulbs (proper protocol after breaking a CFL: evacuate the room, open windows for at least 15 minutes. Then dispose of any porous material (blankets, mattresses, couches, carpets, etc) and proceed to change the bulb).
*Looks up at ceiling* Four years ago I was facing a financial crisis so I replaced all my bulbs with LCD bulbs and my energy bill was halved. After all that time, the only one that needed replacing was the bathroom one, and that, recently. So totally paid for themselves many times over….
Hey Chris: note from 4 years into the future: You’re right.