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THE COLOR OF BETTER LIGHTING
TREEHUGGER - You know CFLs use 70-75% less energy than regular old
incandescent light bulbs, and that they last many times longer. . .
[But] when the New York Times conducted a panel recently to evaluate
different popular CFLs, the reception from those with a designer's eye
was harsh. Testers said they hated many of the offerings; thought they
cast sickly glows; rendered complexions like those of the embalmed;
lacked the warm, firelike quality of incandescents; and were unsuitable
for attractive interiors.
Although more efficient bulbs will be mandated due to the most recent
federal energy bill (beginning in 2012, all new bulbs will have to use
25 to 30 percent less energy for the same light output as today's
typical incandescent bulbs), sales of CFLs have not been as brisk as
greens would like. Wal-Mart reports that the energy efficient bulbs
still account for less than 20 percent of bulb sales.
But the Times also learned that several of the tested CFLs performed
quite well. The TCP Home Soft White, for example, was deemed "a warm
pleasant light." The TCP Spring Light/Soft White was "almost warmer than
incandescent," one person said. And the MaxLite SpiraMax was generally
liked, considered "pretty good" and "clean."
Another thing the Times learned is that switching the lamp shade makes a
huge difference in lighting quality. In once case, swapping a fabric
shade for an opaque cardboard light greatly changed the look and feel in
the room. . .
Also, the Times discovered that mixing some CFLs in a room with other
options (such as the more-efficient-than-standard halogens) for task
lighting or accents can really enliven a space, while still saving you
money on your electricity bills.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/light-color-cfls-46011608
TREEHUGGER - This week a comparison by Sweden's SP Technical Research
Institute of CFLs gives credence to the idea that CFL quality is even
more fickle than consumers' preferences. SP tested eight different CFL
bulbs from manufacturers such as Philips, Osram, and IKEA, and found
that none of them lived up to manufacturers claims for strength of the
light (lumens).[Low temperatures] caused some bulbs to flicker, others
to not even light. Bulbs took from two to seven minutes to come to full
strength. But the most damning part of the test was the report's
demonstration that quality is completely unconnected to local price -
which ran between US $5.50 and $21.86.
http://www.treehugger.com/
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MORE CONTROVERSY OVER WIND POWER
A GROUP in West Virginia is fighting wind power, believing that the
environmental issues that have slowed development in more powerful
places like Massachusetts and New Jersey has led wind power firms to
target their state with towers over 400 feet high.
The Laurel Mountain Preservation Association has raised a number of
issues including:
"The Government Accountability Office determined in its report, "Wind
Power: Impacts on Wildlife and Government Responsibilities for
Regulating Development and Protecting Wildlife," that "no one is
considering the impacts of wind power on a regional or 'ecosystem'
scale" and that state and local officials have no guidelines for
considering the negative environmental impacts caused by wind turbine
facilities"
http://laurelmountainpreservationassociation.org/laurel_mountain_
preservation_association_003.htm
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSN – The U.S. wind energy industry installed
5,244 megawatts in 2007, expanding the nation's total wind power
generating capacity by 45%. The new wind projects will power the
equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually while
strengthening U.S. energy supply with clean, homegrown electric power.
American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours
of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of U.S. electricity supply,
powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.
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THE COLOR OF BETTER LIGHTING
TREEHUGGER - You know CFLs use 70-75% less energy than regular old
incandescent light bulbs, and that they last many times longer. . .
[But] when the New York Times conducted a panel recently to evaluate
different popular CFLs, the reception from those with a designer's eye
was harsh. Testers said they hated many of the offerings; thought they
cast sickly glows; rendered complexions like those of the embalmed;
lacked the warm, firelike quality of incandescents; and were unsuitable
for attractive interiors.
Although more efficient bulbs will be mandated due to the most recent
federal energy bill (beginning in 2012, all new bulbs will have to use
25 to 30 percent less energy for the same light output as today's
typical incandescent bulbs), sales of CFLs have not been as brisk as
greens would like. Wal-Mart reports that the energy efficient bulbs
still account for less than 20 percent of bulb sales.
But the Times also learned that several of the tested CFLs performed
quite well. The TCP Home Soft White, for example, was deemed "a warm
pleasant light." The TCP Spring Light/Soft White was "almost warmer than
incandescent," one person said. And the MaxLite SpiraMax was generally
liked, considered "pretty good" and "clean."
Another thing the Times learned is that switching the lamp shade makes a
huge difference in lighting quality. In once case, swapping a fabric
shade for an opaque cardboard light greatly changed the look and feel in
the room. . .
Also, the Times discovered that mixing some CFLs in a room with other
options (such as the more-efficient-than-standard halogens) for task
lighting or accents can really enliven a space, while still saving you
money on your electricity bills.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/light-color-cfls-46011608
TREEHUGGER - This week a comparison by Sweden's SP Technical Research
Institute of CFLs gives credence to the idea that CFL quality is even
more fickle than consumers' preferences. SP tested eight different CFL
bulbs from manufacturers such as Philips, Osram, and IKEA, and found
that none of them lived up to manufacturers claims for strength of the
light (lumens).[Low temperatures] caused some bulbs to flicker, others
to not even light. Bulbs took from two to seven minutes to come to full
strength. But the most damning part of the test was the report's
demonstration that quality is completely unconnected to local price -
which ran between US $5.50 and $21.86.
http://www.treehugger.com/
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MORE CONTROVERSY OVER WIND POWER
A GROUP in West Virginia is fighting wind power, believing that the
environmental issues that have slowed development in more powerful
places like Massachusetts and New Jersey has led wind power firms to
target their state with towers over 400 feet high.
The Laurel Mountain Preservation Association has raised a number of
issues including:
"The Government Accountability Office determined in its report, "Wind
Power: Impacts on Wildlife and Government Responsibilities for
Regulating Development and Protecting Wildlife," that "no one is
considering the impacts of wind power on a regional or 'ecosystem'
scale" and that state and local officials have no guidelines for
considering the negative environmental impacts caused by wind turbine
facilities"
http://laurelmountainpreservationassociation.org/laurel_mountain_
preservation_association_003.htm
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSN – The U.S. wind energy industry installed
5,244 megawatts in 2007, expanding the nation's total wind power
generating capacity by 45%. The new wind projects will power the
equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually while
strengthening U.S. energy supply with clean, homegrown electric power.
American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours
of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of U.S. electricity supply,
powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.
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