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In this particular moment in human history we should aim to reduce energy consumption. Using 80 watt led bulbs to produce more light completely offsets the gain

by pb060 5y ago

In this particular moment in human history we should aim to reduce energy consumption. Using 80 watt led bulbs to produce more light completely offsets the gain in efficiency that they provide. And It makes me feel more discouraged about our future.

voisin 5y ago
Having one or two of these in a house does not offset having dozens of 40-60w incandescent bulbs in a house 15 years ago.
cardamomo 5y ago
Thank you for taking the time to say this. I've been thinking about this myself, having seen a few articles posted recently along similar lines. I know that one architectural solution to getting more light indoors is often called daylighting[0]. I'm fortunate to live and work in old buildings with high ceilings and large, plentiful windows. What can we do about existing spaces with inadequate light, however? [0] https://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting https://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting
- foxfluff 5y ago
  > I've been thinking about this myself, having seen a few articles posted recently along similar lines. "Efficiency Drives Energy Use" https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/can-the-internet-run-on-renewable-energy.html https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/can-the-internet-r...
- vianneychevalie 5y ago
  High ceiling and large plentiful windows also increase the heating need. Should you want to reduce you energy consumption, you have to reach a balance. Within that balance light is pretty low in any energy budget. In France it's 10% of the electricity consumed by people. Energy consumption for heat can also be solved by thicker walls and better insulation, but how are those walls and insulation produced? Are we talking about energy or carbon reduction? It's tough to analyze the whole chain. Burning wood is carbon-neutral, but can be carcinogenic when not fully efficient, and transporting wood can generate carbon... What I'm getting to is that it's a complex system, and among that system, pollution due to light generation is really, really, really low at the bottom of the priority list.
kelsolaar 5y ago
A 80 watt incandescent light bulb will produce nowhere near close to 20000 lumens, more something along the lines of 1200-1300 lumens thus you would need 15+ times more to produce the same luminous flux.
bradknowles 5y ago
True, but there are cases where you really do want to increase the amount of light being generated -- like Seasonal Affective Disorder.
oh_sigh 5y ago
Time to shut off your router/cell phone then.

by pb060 5y ago

voisin 5y ago

Having one or two of these in a house does not offset having dozens of 40-60w incandescent bulbs in a house 15 years ago.

cardamomo 5y ago

Thank you for taking the time to say this. I've been thinking about this myself, having seen a few articles posted recently along similar lines. I know that one architectural solution to getting more light indoors is often called daylighting[0]. I'm fortunate to live and work in old buildings with high ceilings and large, plentiful windows. What can we do about existing spaces with inadequate light, however? [0] https://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting https://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting

foxfluff 5y ago
> I've been thinking about this myself, having seen a few articles posted recently along similar lines. "Efficiency Drives Energy Use" https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/can-the-internet-run-on-renewable-energy.html https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/can-the-internet-r...
vianneychevalie 5y ago
High ceiling and large plentiful windows also increase the heating need. Should you want to reduce you energy consumption, you have to reach a balance. Within that balance light is pretty low in any energy budget. In France it's 10% of the electricity consumed by people. Energy consumption for heat can also be solved by thicker walls and better insulation, but how are those walls and insulation produced? Are we talking about energy or carbon reduction? It's tough to analyze the whole chain. Burning wood is carbon-neutral, but can be carcinogenic when not fully efficient, and transporting wood can generate carbon... What I'm getting to is that it's a complex system, and among that system, pollution due to light generation is really, really, really low at the bottom of the priority list.

kelsolaar 5y ago

A 80 watt incandescent light bulb will produce nowhere near close to 20000 lumens, more something along the lines of 1200-1300 lumens thus you would need 15+ times more to produce the same luminous flux.

bradknowles 5y ago

True, but there are cases where you really do want to increase the amount of light being generated -- like Seasonal Affective Disorder.

oh_sigh 5y ago

Time to shut off your router/cell phone then.