NYT: Power-Sipping Bulbs Get Backing From Wal-Mart

[Psephos]

...the giant discount retailer is determined to push them (compact fluorescent lights) into at least 100 million homes. And its ambitions extend even further, spurred by a sweeping commitment from its chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., to reduce energy use across the country, a move that could also improve Wal-Mart’s appeal to the more affluent consumers the chain must win over to keep growing in the United States.

It is the environmental movement’s dream: America’s biggest company, legendary for its salesmanship and influence with suppliers, encouraging 200 million shoppers to save energy.

Full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/business/02bulb.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=78dfdd6856cb7590&ex=1325394000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Interesting, in several ways.

Peace.

[keopeli]

1. Also in Walmat's arsenal for reputation repair is the NYT, apparently.

Forgive me for being skeptical, but the NYT is a corporate crony paper.

Real answers to energy conservation are not in selling a new light bulb to consumers. It is in corporate reform - the end of the oligarchical rule that fails to consider anything above the dollar.

Peace.

[jwirr]

2. The Inconvient Truth is telling people to begin using these bulbs.

I don't care if walmart is trying to buy pr or not - this it a good thing.

[keopeli]

12. Buy the bulbs, save the planet, yes, yes, yes

But don't be lulled into thinking WalMart is repairing their practices. Perhaps the NYT should have run a story about how Al Gore is getting people interested in these bulbs.

Peace

[jwirr]

13. That is a very good point. But that would mean that MSM would

have to do something truthful for a change.

[trogdor]

27. The fact that Wal-Mart is pushing them makes it news.

It's far more interesting that Wal-Mart (a known Gilded-age-style robber-baron corporation) is pushing energy-saving light bulbs than that Al Gore (a known champion of conservation) is doing so.

Of course, the real story is that the (1) price of these bulbs is no longer cost-prohibitive and (2) the light produced by these bulbs is as good that from an incandescent bulb. My house has been full of them since about 2001 (when they were eight bucks apiece), and I replace maybe one bulb every couple of years. So I say reward good corporate behavior and buy some of Wal-Mart's newfangled swirl bulbs, if you haven't already made the switch.

[mrcheerful]

15. Excuse me for pointing this out, but remember for every save the environmental thing Big business do

aimed at the consumer, doesn't matter when said environmental consumer product they sell is made by an unfriendly environmental factory. To put it simply, big business puts more toxins into said environments then every citizen in every country. What the consumer does, has little to no impact when you consider the billions of tons of waste products it takes to make said environmental safe product. It's called passing the buck, from business to consumer.

[Eurobabe]

3. These bulbs are awesome, we use them in Europe

They've been around here for awhile. Interesting that WALMART in the US is hocking these, and that they are running into resistance from GE and Osram - Osram & Philips MAKE these bulbs over in Germany.

The light is a little different, it isn't a warm bulb, they take a minute or so to get to full brightness and they ARE expensive compared to the cheapo conventional bulbs. BUT, they last for a gazillion hours and use considerably less energy. I can't imagine that these bulbs contain Mercury, at least the ones in Europe/Germany because the Germans are so anal about the environment. I will have to do some investigation about this...we have some packages downstairs in the basement, maybe it says on the box "how to dispose of this item."

At least MAO-MART is doing something right these days.

[Old and In the Way]

5. I think they use LEDs with an electronic inverter circuit to convert

the power from AC to DC. They do take a couple of minutes to warm up, but once the lamp is at rated output, I can't tell the difference.

[Eurobabe]

7. The light is a tad more harsh, but you don't really notice when they are cranked

Every lightbulb in our house is now a low wattage bulb. It costs a pretty penny (they are 9euros for 3 bulbs) but once you switch them all over, between the energy savings, the bulb life and the good feeling that comes from doing something for the environment, they pay you back handsomely. :)

[Solo_in_MD]

10. There are "warm" CFs as well, which is what we use.

The warm up part is a real PITA in parts of our home, so we will be mixed for some time. There are places when you need the light on full strength and right now. An example is a pantry, closet, or bathroom.

SCE and Home Depot seem to have some sort of long term price reduction going in some areas.

California Title 24 is also mandating energy efficient lighting in new homes.

[Xithras]

16. They still don't match incandescents though.

I'm what you might call a 90% convert. The lights I regularly use for reading (bedstand lamp, lamp next to my livingroom chair, desk lamp) are all 40 watt Philips Natural Light incandescent bulbs. Every other light inside and outside of my house is either a CF or a full sized flourescent bulb. I converted a couple of years ago and my power bill dropped by about 20%...the bulbs paid for themselves in about two months. In that time, I've only had to replace a couple of lights that stay on all night, the rest are still burning brightly after two and a half years of regular use. No complaints here!

I'm hoping the bulb companies will develop a good "natural light" CF soon so I can toss my last few incandescents.

[Solo_in_MD]

17. Doesnt the warm up time cause problems in certain locations?

That is my only issue with them right now. The light is "warm enough" for our purposes

[Sgent]

19. warm up time

isn't an issue with electronic ballasts, which are in newer florescent fixtures.

The screw in replacements (CFL) are a mixed bag.

[TreasonousBastard]

21. Ful-spectrum CFs exist. but...

it's tough to find them and they usually cost a bit more. I have several small reading lights with 6500K flourescents, but finding replacement tubes is a bitch. Specialty lighting stores have them or can get them. Other places sometimes have them mixed in with a huge order of other stuff.

The reason for this problem is simple-- "warm-white" flourescents are heavy on the yellow phosphors and put out more lumens per watt than others, so the CF makers use them when marketing how "12 watts=60 watts" and such. A full-spectrum CF would have more red phosphors (which are much more expensive, too) and wouldn't be quite as efficient relative to an incandescent lamp.

So, manufacturers make the good CFs, but don't put them into the mass retail stream.

[Eurobabe]

22. Haven't seen Full-Spectrum in Germany, but I am sure someone must

must stock them. I have never seen so many different kinds of light bulbs in my life?! You think Lowes is bad, come visit a German OBI!!

[TreasonousBastard]

23. They must be somewhere...

when I worked for DuroTest, GE and Phillips were our big competition for decent flourescents, although Philips wasn't too great at the time.

Now, I see Phillips lamps all over the place here-- even have a couple of their 4 foot 5000K 96% CRI lamps in the kitchen. Phillips quality seems to have gone up over the years. Tried their 6500K wattsaver T-8s, but the ancient ballast in the fixture couldn't handle them-- saving them for when I get a new fixture.

Gotta say, though, that you have to look for them, even here. Home Depot has a small supply hidden amongst the cheap generic cool-whites everyone buys, and they're often as not out of stock of the decent screw-in replacement CF bulbs. And I've never seen full-spectrum 9-12V plug-in tubes for the small lamps there.

Maybe in Holland...?

[Pab Sungenis]

34. My one big problem is they don't work in dimmers.

The nature of CF bulbs keeps them from operating with dimmers, so I can't use them in the fixtures in my theaters. Everywhere else: hallways, lobbies, offices, restrooms, it's all CF for us now. One of the measures that cut our elecric bills in half.

[Solo_in_MD]

36. There are dimmable CFs out there

[anitar1]

18. Costco has them at a very reasonable price.

also i was able to receive several free ones from my Utilty Co. for attending an energy saving class.Very interesting class.

[screembloodymurder]

26. I've had problems with the Costco bulbs.

They don't last anywhere near the advertised life. Am I the only one that has this problem? Maybe my wiring is bad.

[napi21]

33. I bought mine at Costco abouta year ago, and I have the lights on

almost all the time! I've had no problems yet, but they are approaching only their first year. i also haven'thad a problem with the warmup time. As soon as the sun starts to drop, I turn the lights on next to my sofa because it's quickly becomes too dark to read there. It only takes aabout 3-4 minsto get to full brightness. On rainy days, these lights never get turned off!

I'm happy so far, andI'd been postponing buying the CF bulbs because of the price. I bought a pack of 6 for under $10.

[trogdor]

29. The newer ones are very much improved.

In most of these respects. If they're taking awhile to warm up, and making harsh light, you've probably got an older model. Stick 'em in the basement where it doesn't matter (I have a hodge-podge of older flourescent bulbs down there at Chez Trogdor) and put the good bulbs in the most-used rooms.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Interesting....I was in Walmart a couple of months ago and

they were promoting the bulbs in the front of the store...I actually bought 9 bulbs that are now in use...will probably swap all of the lights out over time.

[tuvor]

6. Been using them for years in Canada. Getting cheaper, too.

On sale, mind you, but I picked up a couple of 3-packs for six dollars each a couple of weeks ago.

Are these bulbs new to the USA?

[TreasonousBastard]

20. Been around for ages...

I was selling compact flourescents back in the '80s. The LED lamps are fairly new, though-- biggest problem a while back was the lack of a blue LED to make white light.

Frankly, I'm dismayed by most of the LED lamps with their overly blue light. Don't like most of the CFs, either, with their overly yellow light.

But, I find CFs at the dollar stores and in heavily discounted displays at other places. If light quality isn't an issue, there's little reason not to use them.

[azurnoir]

8. We've been using them for a while

Menards carries them also, plus they also have them in asst."party" colors.

[Why Syzygy]

9. Well I sure hope they don't have an exclusive

because I will not step foot into WalMart. Energy lightbulbs is going to take away the ugly?
I think not.

But I want some.

[xxqqqzme]

14. I've boght them @ Target

& K-Mart. I bought a bunch of them and as the old incandescents burned out, we replaced them w/ the new. We even have some in the recessed cans in the kitchen & hallway. The only draw back for us is they don't work w/ dimmers.

[FlaGranny]

24. They're also selling them in

supermarkets in my area. I have been 100% fluorescent for about 6 years or so. Started using them first in fixtures that were hard to get to like outside lights, ceiling lights, etc. Then added a few at a time. The only lights that really bother me as far as warming up is the round decorative round ones I put in our spare bathroom. They really start out dim and take at least a minute to come up. All the others come on what seems like instantly or within just a few seconds at most. They are getting much better. I think I've replaced 3 bulbs in that time. They do lose brightness after a while. I had one that was at least 6 or 7 years old that I finally threw away. It still worked but was getting dimmer by the day.

[TommyO]

31. You can get dimmable fluorescent bulbs now!

They are a bit pricey compared with regular CF bulbs. Search "The Google" and you'll find plenty of them out there.

[rcdean]

11. This is the 2nd significant consumer-oriented Wal-Mart move in as many months

It's now clear the company has chosen to fight its negative anti-labor image with powerful product and pricing moves that have strong appeal to liberals and to working people generally. Very savvy!

We should take pride that our own efforts are finally coming to at least some fruition in influencing this kind of megacorp behavior.

Last month's revolutionary Wal-Mart offering of generic prescriptions for $4 was a rare example of a corporate giant taking on another giant industry (big Pharma).

This new effort, pushing CFLs is a very Green powerhouse swing that will turn GE and other big-energy blood-suckers red with rage.

If it succeeds in selling 100 million compact fluorescent bulbs a year by 2008, total sales of the bulbs in the United States would increase by 50 percent, saving Americans $3 billion in electricity costs and avoiding the need to build additional power plants for the equivalent of 450,000 new homes.

That would send shockwaves — some intended, others not — across the lighting industry. Because compact fluorescent bulbs last up to eight years, giant manufacturers, like General Electric and Osram Sylvania, would sell far fewer lights.

I don't like Wal-Mart. But I have to concede these promotions are some of the best PR I've ever seen. They are not only effective, but also beneficial to the public at large. That's the kind of result competition is supposed to produce, in theory, but rarely does.

[magellan]

25. We swapped to fluorescents a few years ago

The whole house is CFL now, even the fridge. (It just takes a few moments to come on in the cold.)

They are a bit dimmer but this hasn't been a problem for our use. We use the warm color bulbs.

[thecrow]

28. Fluorescent light gives me migraines

I use full spectrum bulbs to work by and low wattage bulbs everywhere else

[MrPrax]

30. Robbing Peter...to Pay Paul?

Big TVs are big energy hogs

An energy expert warns that big-screen televisions and the equipment they are hooked up to can use as much power as a refrigerator, but most consumers don't realize it until the electricity bill arrives.

Anne Wilkins, manager of the federal government's Energy Star program, said that while Canadians are making their homes more energy efficient, they are often unaware of how much power their electronic equipment uses.

CBC

Do flat-screen TVs eat more energy?

Flat-screen TVs - a Christmas "must-have" in many households - are among the latest gadgets to be black-listed by environmentalists for their heavy power consumption. But are they really the 4x4s of home entertainment?

They're big and bright and flying off the shelves in the seasonal spending spree. Flat-screen televisions are accounting for eight out of 10 TVs bought this Christmas - casting their bulky old predecessors into the shade.

....

In terms of carbon emissions, the EST says old-style TVs produce 100kg of climate-warming CO2 per year - while larger, plasma screens (there are no small plasma TVs) will pump out 400kg.

This says that, on average, the power consumption of a cathode-ray screen is 3.4 watts per screen inch, while plasma uses 9.4 watts per screen inch - based on figures from 2005.

BBC

Plasma screens threaten eco-crisis

Our insatiable appetite for the big picture is threatening the planet. A scientist has warned that if half of British homes buy a plasma-screen TV, two nuclear power stations would have to be built to meet the extra energy demand.

...

But plasma sets can use up to four times as much electricity as the old-style cathode-ray tube models. Combined with set-top boxes, digital video recorders, DVD players and home PCs, the digital home is seen by environmental campaigners as a growing contributor to the energy crisis.

Guardian

This might end up being the biggest motive to switch to a cheaper light bulb -- to free up more power for other appliances...no real savings to either the consumer or the environment overall.

[derby378]

32. The light from a fluorescent bulb is still pretty harsh

Great for work, sure, but at home I need an ambience that's more friendly. Show me a softer-light fluorescent bulb, and I'm game.

[fasttense]

35. Yes, I've bought these bulbs and am slowly replacing my burnt out bulbs

But if you don't want to buy from Wal-Mart, you can buy them on line too.

[Javaman]

37. Fluorescents are so yesterday, I'm already onto LED's.

They maybe more expenisive up front, but they use so much less power than fluorescnets.

Yeah, I'm smug. Damn right I am. Smug smug smug. LOL

:crazy:

Well at least this is a step in the right direction for those pigs.

[Trajan]

38. Promoting CFL's is News ?: We have been using them for over a decade

It was a necessity to use CFL's in our household; what, with > $400 monthly electric bills (Air conditioning in summertime Riverside CA), who the hell could afford to NOT change to CFL ?

We didnt give a fuck if CFL light wasnt pure: having the electricity turned off because the bill was too high gave us FAR worse headaches than those one gets for light of the 'wrong hue' ...

The AC was switched off as well .. We decided sweating and showering was more affordable ....

Since other stores have been promoting CFL usage for over a decade now, I cannot in my life imagine why Wal Mart should be praised for finally coming aboard .... WTF took them so long ? ....

FUCK them .... I have choices, and I have chosen to STAY THE FUCK OUT OF WALMART, no matter what schmaltzy PR crap they foist onto the marketplace ....

PAY AND INSURE YOUR WORKERS .... THEN I will consider coming back to Wally World ....

[LeftyMom]

39. Gee, that's more than a bit behind the times

Everybody else has promoted 'em for ages, and for that matter around here everybody else sells them cheaper (the local utility does a special deal on them, 60-100 watt equivalents are a dollar, all the others are similarly reduced.)

I don't know if the deal's still on, but Lowes had them free after rebate last month.