The Turn of the Bulb
January 4, 2007 |
Seth Godin writes one of my favorite blogs, and he recently started a series of posts on compact florescent light bulbs. Greg did an excellent job tackling the subject, and I thought I might add a little something to the issue.
I don’t have any CF light bulbs in my house. Not one. The only time I ever used a CF bulb was during my time in college. When you are in college, anything, and I mean anything, that may save you even a few pennies is worth a try. I know that CF bulbs can save me money, and that they last longer, should be better for the environment, etc. The simple truth is that I don’t use CF bulbs because I hate the light they produce. To me, the savings isn’t worth the product being offered.
I hate florescent lighting. I don’t like quality of florescent light. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that florescent lights are typically the lighting style of choice for all government buildings and office spaces. There is just something about florescent lighting in my house that gives me the heebie-jeebies. My life is more than a series of economic calculations. Just because something is going to save me money doesn’t necessarily make it worthwhile. While I like saving money, I also like quality. For me, the quality of CF bulbs isn’t high enough for me to switch, even if they do save me some money.
To Greg’s point, I love Capitalism. For all its imperfections, Capitalism has yielded more wealth and improved the lives of more humans on this earth than any other economic system yet devised, and all this is a relatively short time. While I agree with Greg that the CF bulb is yet another example of how Capitalism can benefit people, I think the story of the light bulb isn’t over. The CF bulb is a great step forward in efficiency when it comes to light bulbs, but a step backward when it comes to quality. The Capitalists of the world are capable of creating something even better than the CF bulb. Such an innovation will be made by people much smarter than I, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
[tags] real estate, realtor, light bulb, compact florescent, capitalism [/tags]
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6 Responses to “The Turn of the Bulb”
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My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
Go buy a four-pack at Wal-Mart. Things have changed since you were in college. If you still don’t like them, park them in places where quality of light is less significant than the time it takes to change a light bulb: Basement, attic, garage-door opener.
The light fixture over my desk has four CF bulbs: 300 watts of candlepower for 64 watts of electricity.
Did you track this back to Seth? He should hear a contrary POV.
[Reply]
Greg,
Perhaps I should give them another shot. I’ll let you know how it goes. Like I said, house is small, so I have neither a garage or a basement. I like good light.
I did send Seth a trackback.
Your post was excellent, as usual. I don’t know when people will end their irrational love for Socialism and Communism. It was one of the most infuriating aspects of my college experience.
[Reply]
I agree with you that for the most part CF bulbs look awful. I once bought one from a 99-cent store that made our living room look like a morgue.
After a bit of research though I discovered you could choose the color temperature of the bulb you buy. A 5000-Kelvin bulb will give you a horrible stark glare whereas a 2700 kelvin bulb has the same color temperature as a traditional incandescent bulb.
I am not saying these bulbs are just as nice as incandescents, but they are pretty damn close. We have a 50/50 mix of CFs and incandescents in our apartment, as I love the way clear glass incandescents cast shadows. You cannot emulate this with CF bulbs.
Greg is right when he says you should replace the ones in the places of least important to you. When you do, you should do it with 2700-3000K CFs. It should say on the packet what you are getting.
And fingers crossed LED technology will one day provide us with a more homely glow than these freaky looking CF bulbs.
[Reply]
Simon,
After the responses by you and Greg, it would appear that I should give the CF bulb another chance.
It would be nice if LED technology could improve to the point where it could effectively illuminate a living space. It definitely makes for a better flashlights. I also recently read an article about LED headlights in cars, but as of right now, the technology is expensive enough as to be impractical for most cars.
[Reply]
[...] There has been talk lately about fluorescent bulbs‘ merits (and demerits); buying a few is a start. Soon you might find yourself recycling or riding a bike to work! [...]
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