[ale] OT Just bought my 1st & 2nd "lighting-class" LED bulbs

[James Sumners]

On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 7:18 PM, Ron Frazier (ALE)
<atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:
> Hi James,
>
> I see what you're saying, BUT ...
>
> Essentially every person on the planet knows what a 40W, 60W, 75W, and 100W lightbulb does, and how using it affects their lives.  They have no clue that an 800 lumen bulb, for example, does the same thing as a 60W bulb used to.  So, the old wattage scale is the closest thing we have as a way to classify and compare bulbs.  This is exactly why the packaging lists the bulb as 60W replacement or 60W equivalent, because the manufacturers know the customers would have no clue as to what to buy.  If I get one or more of these for my Dad, you can bet I'll say it's a replacement for a 60W bulb.  It will probably be that way for at least a decade while we transition.
>
> Now, if the manufacturers want to cooperate and develop a universal luminosity scale and make it so the customer can easily tell what he / she's buying, no matter what brand it is, that would be great.

The meaning of the unit is not really in question -- [1] & [2]. It is
already standardized.

>
> I'll even give them a hint as to how to do it.  You could use "I" for intensity, with the following standard designations, which I just made up, with the following equivalences to the old wattage system.
>
> I1 - 4 W - nightlight
> I2 - 25 W - refrigerator bulb
> I3 - 40 W - appliance bulb
> I4 - 60 W - room light
> I5 - 75 W - room light
> I6 - 100 W - room light
> I7 - 150 W - bright room light

That is way too confusing.

>
> So, someone could go into any store and buy any I5 bulb, and he / she would get the same light output no matter what.  Fat chance of this cooperation happening.
>
> The next best thing would be a standard chart of lumens using the same increments.  But, that's still less user friendly, and the numeric sequence would be much harder to remember than the simple example I gave.  Now, how many lumens do I need to light my living room?  I have no clue.  Neither would my Dad.
>
> Right now, I know what I need to light my living room.  I need 2 ea 100 W equivalent CFL's and 2 ea 60 W equivalent CFL's, or similar LED's if I could afford them.
>
> Lumen designations are not useful to consumers as a sole differentiator of bulbs unless they're in standardized increments and consumers are exposed to them for a long enough period of time to get them familiar with them.
>
> The old watts designations were, at least, fairly comparable amongst bulbs of the same filament based technology.

I understand that. That's why I said "_learn_ to distinguish..." It
takes time, but it doesn't happen if you don't force yourself to refer
to the lumen output instead of the watt equivalence.

>
> For what it's worth, I'll try to observe the lumens when I buy bulbs, but I will probably take a good amount of time before I'm as comfortable using that to determine my needs versus the old wattage system.
>
> Keith also mentioned the enclosure thing.  I read all the fine print on the packaging and they don't mention any such exclusions.
>
> I'm glad you have such a low electric bill.  Mine is twice that when I'm not running cryptocurrency mining.  For my case, although I've abandoned incandescents, I don't think lighting is a huge percentage of my bill.  My electric also includes the dryer, water heater, freezer, dehumidifier, and heat pump.  But, using less $$$ for lighting is always good.

Yeah, I have a laundry room, too. I also have a rather inefficient
refrigerator along with a massive pile of electronics in my
entertainment center (two power hungry video game consoles, a home
built HTPC, fairly big LCD TV, receiver/amp, 7.1 speaker setup, etc.),
a power hungry computer gaming setup, and a home studio with power
sucking monitors (speakers) and synthesizers. And let's not forget the
always running UPSes keeping these things safe. I use a fair amount of
electricity. The lighting savings is, as I said, significant.

[1] -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_flux
[2] -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)


-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59