On Sep 17, 1:17 am, RickH wrote:
On Sep 16, 4:00 pm, Yroc Morf wrote:

Anyone know if it is safe to use a CFL in the fridge?

I tried at 9w one out and it seems to work fine.

I do not think it will save me much money in lighting costs, however
the heat from a normal bulb is significant and I was thinking not
having a bulb heating the fridge every time it is open might make it
advantageous.

I am however worried that the bulb (mercury) might cause problems with
food.

Anyone able to provide insight?

The amount of energy that went into making that one CFL compared to a
regular bulb outweighs any energy you save anyway. The supply chain
for a CFL has capacitors, triacs, transistors, resistors, many kinds
of metal, phosphors, chemicals, mercury, gasses, etc. and those
complex parts have even longer supply chains,etc. The supply chain
for a light bulb has a roll of tungsten wire, some glass, some thin
aluminum or brass, a rivit, and some springy metal to hold the
filament. I'm still not convinced that CFL's are a not net energy
loss, just like ethanol is. And besides I think the last time I
changed a fridge bulb was 10 years ago. CFL's dont last much longer
to make them compensate for their humongous supply chains and energy
in manufacture, I change blown CFL's quite frequently in fact. And
they are in the nearest landfill.

Agree. Seems pointless. To use a $2.50 to $3.00 bulb save a miniscule
amount of energy; seems silly?

Also the effect on the environment in the manufacturing of a CFL lamp,
including its minute mercury content and electronic bits and pieces,
even though it may last 5000 hours or something, is more significant
than the neg legible amount of energy saved.

The fact that a CFL costs some ten times ($2.50 versus 25 cents for a
regular bulb) that of a conventional bulb is surely an indication of
its greater industrial production requirement.

Even if a fridge was opened 100 times a day for half a minute each
time (with consequent loss of cold air, causing the fridge compressor
to cut in consuming way more energy than the lamp); a typical 25 watt
appliance lamp would consume at 10 cents per k.watt hour; only 10 x
(100 x 25 x 0.5 /60) /1000 = less than one quarter of one cent per
day. Maybe 75 cents per year? Which you could reduce to maybe 27 cents
per year by using CFL? Not worth thinking about.

BTW CFLs are rated as hazardous waste by some jurisdictions. Not
'supposed' to chuck them, when they do wear out, in regular garbage!

Some of these 'energy efficiency' policies are foolish especially when
implemented by politicians and others who have no concept of the
technicalities or basic physics involved. Then others jump on the
bandwagon cos. it's the fashionable thing to do!

We have a neighbour who has gone heavily in CFLs at considerable cost;
however since we we both use electric heating he doesn't seem to
realise that the 'wasted' heat from his old lamps contributed slightly
to his home heating! Since lights are typically on winter and other
cool evening.