Page 1 of 6 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 52

Thread: The wonders of modern lighting

  1. #1
    LHBA Member rreidnauer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Allegheny highlands
    Posts
    10,913

    The wonders of modern lighting

    In the process of reconstructing my RV for four-season, off-grid use, I've been converting all the lighting to more efficient options. So let's look at the before and after.

    Before, the trailer was equipped with your standard incandescent 18 watt 921 style bulbs in all it's fixtures. Most fixtures had two bulbs each.
    After, is a mix of LED and CFL lighting. As you can see, a few lights have been removed, and wattage has been cut by 69%, while total lumens is still 96% of before. (note a few lights have even been eliminated as they weren't needed)
    The 13 watt CFLs do the grunt work, at about 700 lumens each, for main ceiling lights. Combinations of 2 and 3 watt LED lamps handle the rest of the lighting. (at 160 and 210 lumens each respectively)
    More on the LED lights. The wafer style multi-element LEDs shown below are incredible. The amount of light that emanates from these seems almost impossible for the given wattage. I hope they hold up over the long run.

    This is one of the 3 watt, 15 LED units. (by the way, the light reflected is coming from the 2 watt models in the undercabinet light I installed earlier) I modified the units for the standard wedge base.

    And here is an undoctored photo of a pair of the 3 watt LEDs lit. It's very close to, if not the same as, the pair of 18 watt bulbs it replaced. The color is very good too.
    For the dining table, I put up a small, three lamp chandelier. I originally installed three 13w CFLs, but that pushed wattage above the original 36 watts, and really, it was way too bright. So, I just received tonight some LED bulbs (Sunmia clear cone) which look more like conventional lamps. They are also 3 watts, and 210 lumens each. That will be brighter than the original two 921 bulbs, at 17% the power. Color temperature is a bit higher than I like, (3200K) but I think it'll be fine. I can't wait to see how they look. They aren't cheap though, at $27 a piece.
    One incadecent light has remained though. The bath vanity light is still powered by a pair of 921 bulbs. So far I can't find anything that I like which makes sufficient quality light at the mirror. A CFL bulb would be OK, but I can't find a fixture I'd like to use with them, so for now, the old bulbs have survived the change-over.
    Back to cost. The CFLs are like $9 ea., the wafer LEDs are $9 and $10 each, and those Sunmia bulbs at $27, and a waterproof LED lamp for the shower at a whopping $63, I got about $260 in bulbs alone. But getting back to "it's easier (and cheaper) to conserve than it is to produce", by having cut my power usage by two thirds, I can reduce the amount of required solar panels, batteries, etc. Production savings far out-weigh the cost of the lamps.
    Finally, modern, efficient lighting with aesthetically acceptable light are a reality. Now, just got to wait for the costs to come down to be truly viable for the mainstream market.

  2. #2
    LHBA Member ChainsawGrandpa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    G.A.R.
    Posts
    1,429

    The wonders of modern lighting

    Not being sarcastic, but is that too much light? I use six-50 lumen lights and my place is plenty bright. No, it's not lit-up like a modern house in the average subdivision, but 300 lumens evenly distributed over less than 1,000 square feet is doing pretty well. I do have to admit I have my eye on four - 300 lumen lights.

    G'pa

  3. #3
    LHBA Member rreidnauer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Allegheny highlands
    Posts
    10,913

    Sure, I *could* have gotten

    Sure, I *could* have gotten by on far less, but saving energy doesn't mean I also have to give up quality of life. While living by the light of a kerosene lantern's flame can be romantic, it's not necessarily what I'd want for the every day. But yes, for the most part it is too bright, and I'd never have everything on all at once.
    The goal I had set out for was to cut energy consumption by at least 50% without sacrificing light intensity and quality. I'm happy to say I far exceeded that goal, and as an added bonus, I think light quality actually is better now than before. LEDs have made impressive leaps and bounds lately, and now it's just a matter of time until they follow the trend of the CFLs in price.

  4. #4
    LHBA Member hemlock77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Ashford Connecticut
    Posts
    1,038

    light

    Rod;

    I have a lighting unit for the bathroom, that came with my craigslist vanity and medicine cabinet. It is the style that hangs on the wall above medicine cabinet with 4 fixtures tat you can adjust their angle. This is basically gives extra light for shaving, brushing teeth etc. What low wattage light would you recommend for this application. Primary goal is to keep wattage to bare minimum yet provide ample light for the task at hand.
    Stu
    <a href="http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/">http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/</a>

  5. #5
    LHBA Member Shark's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Hauser, ID
    Posts
    5,069

    Good job Rod, those are

    Good job Rod, those are impressive numbers.
    When we movde into
    our place, we had to buy all new ligfhtbulbs anyways, so we bought
    CFL's. Def seem to keep the electric bill lower.

  6. #6
    LHBA Member StressMan79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Brickleberry NP
    Posts
    2,536

    electric bill

    Unfortunately, living on grid does not encourage using high-efficiency bulbs. My electric bill is 25% "connection fee" and the like. If I cut my use by 1/3, my cost only reduceds by 25%. This lack of proportionality does not encourage conservation. May be production taxes will cause plants to remove this unfair surcharge. I am all for paying for the connection, but this has been paid for for decades. anyway, off grid, if you use less, your cost is less, proportionally. FWIW.

  7. #7
    LHBA Member rreidnauer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Allegheny highlands
    Posts
    10,913

    Limited options

    Quote Originally Posted by hemlock77
    Rod;

    I have a lighting unit for the bathroom, that came with my craigslist vanity and medicine cabinet. It is the style that hangs on the wall above medicine cabinet with 4 fixtures tat you can adjust their angle. This is basically gives extra light for shaving, brushing teeth etc. What low wattage light would you recommend for this application. Primary goal is to keep wattage to bare minimum yet provide ample light for the task at hand.
    Stu
    <a href="http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/">http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/</a>
    There's not many options for a vanity, and it's hard to beat incadecent lamps for the quality and intensity of light. While LED lights are the most efficient, they are still limited in brightness, as well as limited to somewhat directional light, and that's probably not what you would be looking for. (tends to cast shadows) Those Sunmia bulbs I just got are pretty good for omnidirectional light, but only put out 30~40 watt comparible light, and I think they are only available in low voltage. The only other option is CFLs, which run about 25% power of comparable incadecent lamps. Fortunately, not only do they come in an assortment of color temperature choices, they also come in different sizes now too. I just bought a four pack of 13w warm white mini CFLs at Lowes for under $10. I think they are 600 lumens a piece. That would work well in a vanity fixture.

  8. #8
    LHBA Member hemlock77's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Ashford Connecticut
    Posts
    1,038

    cfl

    Thanks. Thats great to hear that price at lowes. Through the month of Dec as am employee I get a 20% discount on all lighting supplies. Might be a good time to stock up.

    I have been doing the research on solar. The way the rules are structured here in Ct. the only way you can tie to the grid or qualify for incentives for that mater is to hire one of the state authorized solar installers. There are less that 40 of them statewide. Of course limited competition translates into high end pricing, in my opinion price gouging. This not only wipes out the incentives, it puts the financial viability of solar outside the realm of my income level.

    At this point my only option is to stay off grid. This is going to require a good deal of conservation, since it is much more cost effective to conserve than to create energy. We are already looking at using propane for stove,hot water, dryer and backup heat(wood stove will be primary). I am also entertaining the idea of a chest refrigerator conversion(still trying to get Norma to sign off on that one).High draw items like welder and compressor will be done off generator, since those are only occasional use items. Right now I am trying to work the lighting plan so we can get an accurate picture of what our demand will be. Most of the models out there seem to be geared more towards grid tied systems, so that is of limited guidance.
    Stu
    <a href="http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/">http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/</a>

  9. #9
    LHBA Member rreidnauer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Allegheny highlands
    Posts
    10,913

    Conservation

    Quote Originally Posted by StressMan79
    Unfortunately, living on grid does not encourage using high-efficiency bulbs. My electric bill is 25% "connection fee" and the like. If I cut my use by 1/3, my cost only reduceds by 25%. This lack of proportionality does not encourage conservation. May be production taxes will cause plants to remove this unfair surcharge. I am all for paying for the connection, but this has been paid for for decades. anyway, off grid, if you use less, your cost is less, proportionally. FWIW.
    Very true Peter, at least up until now. I've been hearing back from quite a few people that there is a notice in their electric bills stating that the costs will be going up XX%, so I guess the cost cap is finally coming off of producers. (was rumored to happen a couple years ago) A lot of them are like, "What does that mean? It's going to cost me $XXX now every month?" And I'm like, "Duh, what do you think I've been trying to tell you, and why I been gearing up for independent living?"
    So, using ChainsawGrandpa's line, "You are only paranoid until something happens, then you are well prepared" really hit the mark this time! :-)
    Usually, I get a follow up question like, "What should I do?" Simple: CONSERVE! It's not that hard to do, and still live pretty much the same way. Turn off lights and whatever else when you leave a room. (obviously, just changing to CFLs is a 75% savings on lighting energy alone) Take the time to check/repair/replace seals on windows and doors. Don't stand in front of the refrigerator with the door gaping while you decide what you'd like to eat. Adjust the thermostat just a degree or two from that "perfect" temperature you have it set at. It's not that bg of a deal, it's just a matter of not being completely lazy. I just don't know why something as simple as flipping a light switch when you walk past it is such a problem for people. But then, the same is true for someone turning in front of me who can't signal either. It's truly the ultimate example of complete laziness. Let me share a perfect example.
    There is a woman at work who was the biggest squawker of these energy price increases. The thing that makes her special is, at lunch, (and this happens regularly) she will open the freezer in the break room, take out whatever she's got, and walk away leaving the freezer door open to unpackage whatever she has. When I walk over and slam the door shut, she's like, "I was going to close that in a minute." Wow . . . . .

    Stu,
    Yea, Take advantage of that 20% discount. I'm sad that Lowes no longer has that 10% discount coupon they use to have in the post office moving packets any more. :-(
    Yea, the limited licensed installers thing just means a monopoly. On top of that, they know you're getting a gov't rebate, and they also know they can inflate their labor fees in accordance. You do have to take it up the yin-yang if you want to be grid tied.

  10. #10
    LHBA Member rreidnauer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Allegheny highlands
    Posts
    10,913

    Well that ain't good!

    OK, ran into a problem the other day. I wanted to put the linoleum down in the bathroom, and wanted to get it warm in the rig to do so. So for that, I wanted to run the big furnace. In doing so, I wanted to apply "shore power" to the rig so I wouldn't run down the battery. (the blower motor is a pretty power hungry device) Well, when I did, it smoked every one of my 12v CFLs. Apparently, they don't tolerate anything above 12.? well, and the trailer's converter probably pushes voltage up to 14 or so. The LED lighting are working just fine as expected, since they are all rated 10~30VDC.
    Now I'm wondering if I can repair/modify the lamps to accept a more tolerable voltage range, or possibly install some sort of regulator in the light fixtures themselves to protect the lamps. At $10 a pop, it's a pricey problem.

Similar Threads

  1. FREE LAND!!! Modern Day Homestead Act
    By rreidnauer in forum General discussion about log homes and cabins
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 10-04-2005, 09:51 AM
  2. 12V DC lighting...HELP!
    By ChainsawGrandpa in forum Solar energy and alternative power
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 09-16-2005, 12:50 PM
  3. Alternative lighting
    By ChainsawGrandpa in forum Solar energy and alternative power
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-11-2005, 02:04 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •