I have recently completed switching out many of the 12 VDC incandescent bulbs in my motorhome with LEDs. As one example, I replaced about 20 side and clearance marker lamps, which each drew about ¾ Amp, with small, high intensity LEDs which draw about 0.04 Amps. This represents a drop from 15 Amps (180 Watts) to 0.8 Amps (9.6 Watts) while simply driving down the road. My concern here was simply reducing the continuous load on my electrical system. These lights are brighter than the incandescents that they replaced, and they cost about $2 per lamp.
In another example, I replaced 10 ceiling lamps, that drew about 1.4 Amps each, with high intensity cool white or warm white LEDs, that draw about 0.1 Amp each. These lights are typically run for several hours at night off of battery power, so my concern her was reducing battery draw to extend power reserves. This change allows me to run a light for 14 hours now using the same power that used to allow only 1 hour of incandescent time. These lights are just as bright as incandescents, and cost about $4 per lamp. I also replaced the tail / stop lamps with ultra-bright LEDs. These lamps draw about the same 12 VDC current as the old incandescents, but they produce a much brighter, intense, pure red light. No power savings here, but now I have much better stop warning capability, perhaps even bright enough to discourage tailgaters, and I dont think Ill have to worry about burned out lights any more. I have been very amazed at the drop in cost of LEDs, and they can produce enough (and acceptable color) light to replace reading lamps and general living area illumination. I would hazard a guess that the time of the CFL has come and gone. Ed Price El Cajon, CA USA From: Ken Javor [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 10:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PSES] Light Bulb provokquium Both the EU and the USA made command economy decisions in banning incandescents. I totally disagree that such market interventions were necessary. I myself have installed CFLS in areas of our home where I deem them to make sense on the basis of saving electricity (NOT saving the planet). Mainly my concern was limiting heat dissipation, because in our climate, shedding heat is more important for more of the year than generating it. All new inventions start out expensive and then as the initial investment is paid off and volume picks up, costs decrease and prices with it, and eventually, totally without any command economy market interventions, alternative light bulbs will become cost-competitive with incandescents, when product life and energy usage is taken into account. Ken Javor Phone: (256) 650-5261 - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]>
