wrote in message
...
Zen83237 wrote:
A few months back I asked about flickering low energy bulbs when they are
switched off and I was pointed to this:

http://www.wiki.diyfaq.org.uk:80/ind...itle=CFL_Lamps
Occasional flashing
In exceptional cases a CFL will flash occasionally when switched off.
This
is due to wiring capacitance passing a tiny current, which gradually
charges
the CFL's reservoir capacitor, and after a while it attmpts to start,
giving
a momentary flicker.

2 conditions tend to cause this:

a.. an especially long switch wire run
b.. supply switched on the neutral instead of live pole
The question is, is the energy being consumed when the lights supposed to
be
off costing me money, ie is it clocking up on my electricity meter. If I
am
getting this for nothing fair enough but if I am paying for it what is
the
point of a low energy bulb that consumes energy when it is switched off.
In
my case it is a constant flicker on three lights that have an light
sensitive security switch.

Kevin

You pay for it, but you're still better off. Lets take a rough
estimate, say the flicker lasts 1/20th second, and it happens once a
minute. So thats 3 seconds worth per hour, or 72 seconds per day. 0.02
hrs at maybe 15w = 0.0003kW/day,
at a cost of 0.0036p per day.

But this current will flow regardless of what type of bulb you use,
fitting a filament lamp won't save you that 0.0036p. So sorry to
disappoint


NT

More like 20 times a second. So that would put the cost as about 1200 times
what you suggested.
For example, I would prefer to watch tv with the light off, no glare but it
is like sitting in a room with a giant stroboscope so I keep the light on.
So no savings there then.