In ,
terry wrote:

On May 18, 3:16*pm, Glenda Copeland gscopel...@Use-Author-Supplied-
Address.invalid wrote:
On Tue, 18 May 2010 06:17:06 -0700 (PDT), keith wrote:
It's likely either an NE2 or an NE2H, which a quick web search shows
are rated for .03W and .09W, respectively. *The right answer is
"fagetabooutit".

Using 0.1W, and averaging my electric rates (35¢/KW) for a dozen switches I
get about 25¢/month or $3.00/year.

Ok on all those numbers but the spec I found showed each neon
indicator using about 0.04 watts per hour.

Make that .04 watts, or .04 watt-hours per hour.

Based on 0.3 milliamps at 115 volts. Thus wattage = current times
voltage or (0.3 x 115)/1000 = 0.0345 watts per hour.

I have a lot of experience with a lighted switch at my "day job", and
it is obvious to me that the neon lamp there is a "high intensity" type,
probably C2A (NE-2H) or A1C ("mini NE2H").

http://www.cml-it.com/pdf/5-4.pdf says design current for NE-2H is 1.9
milliamps. Multiply by 120V, that means .228 watt. Since neon lamps
don't conduct at less than 50-60V, I seem to think that average voltage
used to push electrons through from 120 VAC is closer to 130V. That would
mean closer to .25 watt.

Per month that would be 24 x30 x 0.0345 = 24.84 watt/hours.

And at ten cents per 1000 watt hours (i.e. per kilowatt/hour) that'd
cost 24.84/1000 x $0.1 = approx 0.25 cents
At 35 cents per kilowatt hour it would be 0.75 cents, per month.
And for a dozen switches 0.75 x 12 = about 3 cents or of the order of
36 cents per year.
Since we are all presuming, it seems, that the indicator light inside
the switches will be off whenever whatever the switch controls is 'on'
the indicators will cost even less than that. In other words if one is
using electric lights, negligible!

35 cents per KWH does sound to me high. I thought Philadelphia was bad
at around 14-15 cents per KWH. Chicago and NYC are close to Philadelphia
in electricity cost as of last time I checked.

Meanwhile, I would balance lighted switches against another slice or two
of pizza per year or a few more newspapers per year.

--
- Don Klipstein )