kickstarter farmer laboratory: CFLs at 30 seconds

http://www.permies.com

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paulwheaton/farmer-laboratory-light-bulbs...

I'm trying my first ever kickstarter campaign. Here is the blurb I wrote for it:

I suspect that CFLs perform poorly when used for 30 seconds or less. Which is how most light bulbs are used in a home that does not waste energy. I'm thinking of calling this video "Turn off the damn lights!"

I bought a bunch of gear to add some validity to this, but the gear turned out to be crap. And the good stuff is more than I'm willing to spend. Folks suggested that I do the kickstarter thing cuz others wanna see the video happen and would be willing to put in a few bucks.

Mythbusters did some similar stuff a few years ago, but there were a lot of things they left out. They did a bank of lights where the lights would be on for two minutes and then off for two minutes. After five weeks, all of the bulbs were dead except for the LED. I wanna do 30 seconds on and two minutes off and then find out which bulbs last how long. Did the CFLs die first?

I also have some gear for measuring luminosity. That gear is working fine, but my stuff to show the first few seconds of power consumption is not nearly as good as what they used in mythbusters. I need better gear.

Relevant threads at permies:
http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums/5761_0/alternative-energy/cfl-brig...

music by Jimmy Pardo

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• kickstarter
• CFL
• paul wheaton
• eco
• green
• permaculture
• organic
• sustainability

[christo930]

You miss the point of what is wrong with home CFL usage. Most people are home and thus using lights, when the power company is generating excess electricity. These gigantic monstrosities can't be turned down at night brought back up during the day when elec usage is high, so most of the excess electricity at night goes straight to ground. Some of it is used to pump water up a hill and then it flows back during the day at peak usage, but that's it.

[keetatay]

so....what if you were to get a glass blower to make a very large and thick glass bulb

(basket gall size) and you surrounded it in a loose fitting metal cage. Eventually it would warm up and be a heater.

[Rhinoch8]

Thank you for your wonderful work. Thanks to your channel I found what i wanted to do with my life. Many thanks for all those amazing things that show it is totally possible to do things in an alternative way without going back into the dark ages.

[pondman27]

To be honest Paul, given the amount of mercury contained in these bulbs and the obvious resulting contamination from their use, I am more inclined to use LEDs or 12V auto bulbs.

I'll do what I can, but could do with a KS too.

Interesting times

[JasonKlepacz]

I can't believe i'm the first person to post on your deed behind the combine. HA!!, I love your humor Paul. Keep up the good work. I've reposted on FB and am contributing.

[sok8888]

This study has been done to death in Asia already. CFL is not energy efficient if you turn it on/off frequently due to lost at the ballast. BUT CFL is energy saving for lights which are left on for long time, such as the porch light.

So use CFL with some common sense. Of course if you can afford LED, it is better.

[themeloninc]

Tell everyone! I hope you pass $5000 on kickstarter!!! :)

[spiritartman]

You are AWESOME!! what state are you in? Keep em' coming!

[vention4wh]

I'm phasing my CFL's out, replacing them with expensive LED's as they burn out.

I'll kick in a 10. The humor and creativity you put into this video is what convinced me.

I'll use "Tip the web" to drop a 10 onto your Permies web address.

[FriarTuck1961]

I absolutely hate fluorescent bulbs because they contain Mercury.

I went straight to LED which has no heavy metal pollution issues.