AC/DCdude17 said:
X-No-Archive: Yes
No, get the envirowhiner liberals out of the office. I'd say outlaw low-income
utility subsidies and kill two birds with a stone. This prevent them from
getting cheaper rates at courtesy of your tax money. Incentives for them to use
less power. It will jack up their utility cost and force them to save power or
risk getting their power cut off.
I've never heard of this subsidy. It must be local to your area. The only
thing similar I've ever heard of is the Salvation Army program that gives
out low income heating assistance in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Don't get me wrong, I think Greenpeace ought to be outlawed probably as much
as you do... Most environmentalists have a nasty habit of ignoring facts
and realities. On the other hand, sometimes they know what they are talking
about. They need to police themselves better to avoid losing credibility...
I think your idea gives very little returns for the effort needed and increases
cost.
It all adds up.
Minimizing incandescent lamps from residential properties is far more
significant. Almost all the lights in homes are incandescent. I'm sure you've
came across a bathroom with five or six globe lamps that's 60W each. These
decorative lamps gets perhaps 10 lumens to the watt. Mandating motion detector
activated lights in bathrooms might be effective.
Don't look at me, I run flourescents. Almost all of my bulbs since about 7
years ago were replaced by flourescents. The free market has already
mandated their consumer use by making them cheaper than incandescents, and
most retarded consumers still buy the retarded incandescents. You can buy
the replacement flourescent bulbs for $4 to $13 at any Wal-Mart, and they
last fifteen or twenty times longer than a same-lumens rated incandescent.
Three of my 15 watters (giving as much light as a 60 watt bulb) are at least
7 years old and are still going strong. It would have cost me at least $30
in light bulbs by now and at least a couple of hundred dollars in extra
electricity if I had been buying the incandescent replacement bulbs. I paid
a total of $18 for the three flourescent bulbs. Hey, if you think Wal-Mart
is reasonable for flourescent bulb prices, check out eBay sometime. I've
seen the things sell there for under a dollar sometimes when sold in sets of
5 or more bulbs - new.
That the government hasn't outlawed incandescents makes the Seti@Home
designers and computer programmers look noble, responsible, and efficient in
comparison.
Don't forget superbright LEDs. This new innovation is even more efficient
than flourescents. You may have noticed them starting to sneak into car
tail lights, traffic signals, highway road signs, flashlights, and a few
other places.
