Electricity...again!

[diudiu]

Ok,i saw this in a book.They say that to conserve electricity,we should clean the lights reguarly.Is this true?

[jake-the-peg]

A dirty light bulb might absorb light and retransmit it as heat.

That might make the bulb very slightly less efficient but I guess if you think the light is not bright enough you might go out and buy a brighter bulb.

It doesn't sound like a very large effect to me.

Not compared to things like not boiling a full kettle if you just want a cup, or running dishwashers half empty etc.

[MatydaLover]

If you use one tissue to clean one lamp every day, then every fortnight or so you'll use a box of tissues. That box has to be manufactured, transported, stored in a supermarket, carried home ... ... probably cheaper on energy to leave them dirty.

Maybe when you turn on a light, think about waiting 5 minutes then do it. Probably save a bit, like the brick in the cistern.

[wildwood]

This may be true with an electric heater reflector where if it is dirty the radiant heat output is reduced thus causing you to turn the heat higher, but how you would save electricity by cleaning the light is beyond me.

A light draws the same energy whether it is dirty or not.
If the light becomes dull because it is dirty, are you going to install an additional light or clean the existing one?

In the extreme, the theory could be supported when one uses a dimmer but that is splitting hairs.

[diudiu]

Um,so is it a yes or no?

[VillageVicar]

This has literally nothing to do with the light bulb, but Matyda reminded me of a rather shockig realisation I had over Tropicana Orange Juice. I never once gave it a thought each time I bought a box. There was a study conducted in the states to measure the impact �boxed fresh-squeezed� orange juice had on resources. According to the study, it takes twenty four ounces of fresh water to prepare eight ounces of Tropicana. It takes two ounces of petrol for each cup of orange juice to run the turbines, and then the study gave a range of variations on the distribution and collection process, depending on whether the juice was shipped in railway cars, cargo ships, or by road. Personally, I still buy the product from time-to-time, but not with the regularity I once did.

And for Eddie: Years ago, when I worked within the airline industry, there was a sad secret we all knew, but never talked about. During the days when there were smoking sections on aircraft, it was a fact, that in emergencies where oxygen masks would drop down, the door covers in the smoking section would seldom, if ever, deploy. It came as a consequence of the sticky tar build-up that would cause the doors to become cemented shut. In some instances, the tar accumulation was so intense, especially on long-haul flights, that when the aircraft would go in for its most extensive overhaul (C Check it�s called), it was easier to simply replace the entire overhead shelf units than to try to clean them. But all it would take is about 100 days of flying again before the doors became glued shut again.

Truly sad.

Apologies diudiu: �Yes� is the simple answer. But use a feather duster!

Fr Bill

[diudiu]

ok thanks