Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity; Energy-Savers a Turnoff for Wives

Robert Green · 2007-04-30T18:04:29+00:00

By Blaine HardenWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, April 30, 2007; Page A01NESKOWIN, Ore. -- Alex and Sara Sifford, who live here on the Oregon coast,want to do the right thing to save a warming world.To that end, Alex Sifford, 51, has been buying compact fluorescent lightbulbs . . . He sneaks them into sockets all over the house. This has beendriving his wife nuts. . . . the bulbs, with their initial flicker, slowwarm-up and slightly weird color, bug her. . . . Experts on energyconsumption call it the "wife test." And one of the dimly lighted truths ofthe global-warming era is that fluorescent bulbs still seem to be flunkingout in most American homes. . . . A key to the abiding grass-rootsresistance to CFLs, Reed and other experts said, is indelible consumermemories of the hideous looks and poor quality of earlier generations offluorescent lights. . . . "People remember them from 20 years ago and theyare not going to forgive," said Dave Shiller, vice president of new businessdevelopment for MaxLite, a Fairfield, N.J., company that manufactures CFLbulbs.(That's about all I can post and feel comfortable that I am staying withinthe "fair use" copyright exception - I'll post the URL to the much longerand complete article below although I believe that registration is stillrequired )-: even though it's still free (-:)FWIW, my N-vision CFL floodlight has begun to take a very long time to warmup and appears never able to reach its initial brightness level. Too bad,because it looked like a real winner at first. My wife wants it gone fromthe kitchen! I concur. Slow warmup is really, really annoying when youwant to look at something right away.--Bobby G.

Apr 30, 2007 102 Replies

Rate this thread:

I guess I missed this post from BobbyG. Talk about nerve! Yes, I own two homes on two continents -- one in the USA and one in Brazil. I travel between here and there two to three times a year.

BobbyG implies that by owning two homes I am ignoring the plight of the homeless. What BG doesn't know is that my wife and I support an orphanage and a free day care center for poor children living in the favelas in Brazil. We also distribute clothing, school books and other necessities to a few dozen children. What does BG do for the homeless while he runs about in his gas guzzling SUV?

I can't begin to imagine how BG's bathroom habits became material for this discussion.

I'm stumped! How does anyone else's use or Bobby G's nonuse of energy saving lighting affect the way I maintain my homes? I've seen strange logic in Usenet before but this one boggles the mind.

My Brazilian residence is small and moderately efficient. There is no furnace but the place is in the tropics. There are air conditioners in the bedrooms but we only turn them on during the worst nights. Most of the time the sea breeze through the windows is comfortable enough for sleep.

My American residence is another story. I got it less than 2 years ago. It needs more insulation and the two HVAC systems need to be upgraded and zoned. The sliders and windows all need to be replaced but Florida requires "hurricane glass" and it's not in the budget yet.

We do heat the pool and the Jaccuzzi with solar and I'm taking bids on a solar water heater. I have an ELK-M1G home automation system which I will install as soon as I'm strong enough to climb around in the attic again. BobbyG will have to pardon me for not getting right to these improvements. I'm recovering from cancer and as yet unable to do much.

What is Bobby's excuse for that fridge, the SUV and the wasteful lighting.

True, but he would pretend he never read it.

I used to ride my bike but can't just now. Instead I ride a small scooter in Brazil that gets ~65mpg. My US bike gets ~45mpg. I only use the Odyssey (~28mpg, IIRC) if I have to carry something too big for the scooter or if I'm taking more than one passenger with me.

I work at home so my commute is about 150 feet. :^)

Exactly.