Another LED lighting query

[ffutures]

I've now sorted the lights in most of my flat and replaced the CFLs with LEDs. At some point I will probably be dumping way too many CFLs onto Freecycle... but I digress.

The exception is my work room, which currently has a 4ft 36w fluorescent tube. I'd like to replace that, it's on for several hours most days, but it isn't as simple as the bulbs because the fluorescent fitting has a high-voltage starter, and CFLs don't need that. As I understand it there are two ways to do this - one is to rewire the fitting to bypass the ballast and starter, the other is to replace the fitting entirely and put up one designed for CFL from the outset. Fortunately the fitting can be taken down fairly easily - it hangs on chains a foot or so below the ceiling and can be unplugged - so either wouldn't be especially difficult.

Anyone done any of this, and have any information about the pros and cons? In particular, what's the service life of these things - will the cost of replacements outweigh the energy savings?

Comments

[nojay.livejournal.com]

Is it an old-fashioned choke starter system in this fitting or does it have a more modern electronic ballast?

I've fitted electronic ballasts into a couple of older fluorescent tube battens -- it stops them flickering when they are switched on and substantially extends the life of the tube. Effectively it turns them into a not-very-compact CFL and is a bit easier (but not much easier) than replacing the whole batten. It does involve chopping wires and removing bits though.

Replacing a fluorescent tube unit with LEDs won't save you much on electricity. The big energy savings moving from filament bulbs to CFL aren't matched by the slightly lower consumption of LEDs with a similar light output.

100W tungsten = 20W CFL = 15W LED (roughly).

What might be better is to install some LED lighting in the work room to cover the areas you need good coverage (desk, worktop etc.) and leave the ceiling unit alone.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Old - very flickery, I probably need to replace the starter.

I was wondering about the overall economics. I've replaced the CFLs with LEDs in most of the flat because there were some cheap ones in Poundland, the tube is obviously a different ballgame.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

If the tube's flickering then it may be time to bite the bullet and go LED. You won't easily make up the cost in electricity savings though, LED lighting is only slightly more efficient than CFL or regular electronic-ballast fluorescent tubes.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

What are the environmental issues with LEDs? CFLs are supposed to be recycled, and our nearest recycling site is an inconvenient bus trip away, in a location I have no other reason to visit. And if you break a CFL, you have mercury released into your home environment. Officially you're supposed to vacate the location and call some government agency to decontaminate it. If LEDs are less hazardous that would be a reason to use them.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

There's no particular hazard to disposing of LED lamps other than treating them as electronic waste, like a radio or TV set or a dead toaster.

As for the mercury in CFLs requiring hazmat and evacuation if they break that's an urban myth. The quantity of mercury vapour in a CFL is tiny. If one breaks in a room open a window for a few minutes and then clean up the glass. You will get more exposure to mercury in biologically hazardous form by eating a few cans of tuna.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

My recollection is that I found it either on the packaging for a CFL, or on some sort of official Web site where I looked them up. I don't think I heard it from just some random person; I would have discounted that, or researched it and gone by what a more official site said.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

Here's a link to the Snopes report on CFL breakages:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

There was some worry about breakages in the early days of CFLs but it was vastly overblown. Considering the numbers of regular fluorescent tubes around and the likelihood of them breaking and releasing larger amounts of mercury vapour it's a little surprising that CFLs induced such panic. I presume because they were a new design -- most homes have at least one or two fluorescent tube fittings in garages and workshops. I even have a ring-shaped fluorescent tube in a stand-mounted magnifier.