[mythtv-users] [Slightly OT] solar power for all our gadgets

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday 24 March 2009 09:31:06 Jon Bishop wrote:
> After I've read through this I only have 2 things to say. I switched
> my house from Incandescent to CFL bulbs 4 years ago. I've moved twice
> since then, taking all my bulbs with me, and I haven't had to replace
> any, except the 2 that I had photo sensors on, and when I initially
> changed them, my power bill dropped ~ $80 a month. These are old
> bulbs, and yet they still light up within 30 seconds.
>
> Secondly, and I have no information to back this up, but would be
> interested to know if anyone could prove or disprove the statement my
> friend made the other day (he was reading about Tesla). What he said
> was that Neon lighting is more efficient than fluorescent. I've never
> seen a neon light actually used for lighting though, so I don't know.
> What say you?

Sounds like you have never been to Las Vegas.

Just my personal thought, but since a neon light (actually many different 
gasses are used, depending on the color desired) uses the excited gas 
directly to produce visible light, and a flourescent light uses the radiation 
from the excited gas to excite the phosphor (or whatever they use) coating, 
causing that to emit visible light, I would expect the neon to be more 
efficient, as it eliminates a step.

A neon lamp would probably not be a very good lamp for illumination purposes 
though, due to the (almost) monochromatic nature of the light. They can be 
awfully garish.

-- 
beww
beww at beww.org