Electrcal waste? not too sure..

DENNIS MIN · Dec 8, 2014

All,

After leaving the bathroom lights on last night, I got to thinking...dangerous territory, indeed.

I think the energy spent in heat/light was not wasted. Ok, maybe the light, but the heat to the interior in my home was welcomed.

Did any of these energy savers' calculators ever consider I need the electrical "heat waste" in my home several months of the year?

Phantom electrical losses are not really that when the heat is necessary.

It's but one of many idle thoughts that bounce within my skull, all of which require scrutiny.

D.

Chris Jones · Dec 8, 2014

Well IMHO your partially right. Depending on your cost of electricity and other heating sources you might have created that same heat a cheaper. A heatpump would be one way to create that heat cheaper. Electric baseboard would probably not be any cheaper--then again maybe as they don't emit any light but probably close.

In the summer of course your wasting electricity generating heat and then using more electricity via the air conditioner to remove it.

Greg K · Dec 8, 2014

Hahaha! I had that thought a while back and what I was told was that if the light didn't escape(through a window) then it is as efficient as an electric heater. I'm with you, that if the heat is needed then it is not wasted electricity. But in the summer.....

Geo-TH,In · Dec 8, 2014

You are right, lights produce many times for heat than light. Not good in the summer, but with enough light bulbs, you could heat your house.

John T · Dec 8, 2014

Good point Dennis, us engineers are always talking about heat losses and I Squared R losses and how its a waste as compared to the other energy or useful work you want to get from an electric tool or motor or appliance. HOWEVER if its cold out and you want a heat source inside, hey that heat lost (in inefficiency) is really heat gained in your living space, Heat lost = heat gained is the formula.

Fun chat, as Ive noted a hundred times, no topic draws more comments and opinions and feuds then Electricity or Law LOL Everyone (including yours truly) has an opinion and most are experts, if you don't believe it just ask them........

John T

Southern Ray · Dec 8, 2014

don't turn the switch on with the light bulb removed.
you will let all the electrizims flow out onto the floor and wasted.
grins....

dpendzic · Dec 8, 2014

a light bulb produces more light than heat--a 100w bulb will produce about 90 watts of light and 10 watts of heat---however the light energy strikes solid objects and rattles the molecules which in turn produce heat!

Geo-TH,In · Dec 8, 2014

2 days ago we were running the AC in central Florida. Cold front blew in. 60's today and temps headed south. Thought you would camping in the sunny south.

Come to think of it, you can't create or destroy energy, just change it form.
All the Electrical energy used by any light will be change to heat energy. Most of the electricity energy is converted directly to heat energy. The energy used to produce light will be converted to heat energy once it's absorbed by the matter it strikes.

dpendzic · Dec 8, 2014

Woops--my bad--got the numbers reversed--90 watts heat--10 watts light.

JDemaris · Dec 8, 2014

Depends on who is defining what "waste" means. In this context - the likely connotation of "waste"
is energy not being used for its intended purpose. Light bulbs are called "lights" because they make light. If you intended to get some extra heat in the your bathroom by leaving the light on all night - then to you it was not a waste. Certainly would be to many other people.

Greg K · Dec 8, 2014

Hahahaha!

Dick2 · Dec 8, 2014

Depends on what type bulb you are using. We don't get much heat out of our LED bulbs.

John T · Dec 8, 2014

Yeppers, the efficacy of a light fixture is how many lumens per watt it produces. As you note an LED produces more lumens per watt then say an incandescent light and for the equivalent amount of lumens it generates less heat. My RV is full of LED lighting.

Love electricity chat

John T

John T · Dec 8, 2014

Like other mechanical and electrical devices, they don't create or destroy energy, only change its form. The energy you put in = energy out. In an electrical device such as a transformer, you put say 100 watts of electrical energy in, but since its not 100% electrically efficient, you get maybe for example 90 watts of electrical energy out HOWEVER there are 10 watts of heat energy (you could call it wasted if you like but it can heat the room) generated.

If you have say a reduction drive gear unit, you may put 10 HP in but only get 9 HP out, the other 1 HP is converted to heat energy caused by friction in the gears, is that wasted??????? Not if you use it to heat your house I guess???

Fun chat

John T

OldFarmTractor · Dec 9, 2014

I think my favorite energy unit is the hybrid electric water heater. Using it in summer means you move heat from your living area into the water heater via the heat pump. Now talk about killing two birds with one stone.

The village I live in has 3 ice rinks near the public works office. I repeatedly questioned then as to why we take the heat from the ice sheets and pump it into the environment when it could be used to heat the public works building. Even if it offset the heating costs by 20%, that would be a savings in the long run.

I believe they just don't understand.

What did the pioneers and people a couple hundred years ago use for heat? The animals they bedded below their living quarters.

farmboy48 · Dec 9, 2014

Yup, I have used ground source heat pump for 30 years, A/C heats water in summer, saving money on hot water, I heat and cool my 1500 sq ft house for an average of 30 dollars a month year around. Nat gas furnace cost me about 200 a month in the winter. back before I got the heat pump.

Bob in SD · Dec 9, 2014

There was a time last winter when if you were paying market price for your propane it would indeed have been cheaper to heat with lightbulbs. Most of the time electricity is the most expensive way to heat.

buickanddeere · Dec 9, 2014

Off peak electrical equals or beats oil or LP here. Plus no upfront cost of the furnace. No replacement or service required of heat exchangers or chimneys.

Chris Jones · Dec 9, 2014

Yup, you have to do the math for where you live. I don't have the option for different pricing for off-peak use to my knowledge. But for me electric beats kero and propane. I haven't looked at oil. I don't have access to natural gas.

Heatpump is still cheaper than baseboard but the reliability of baseboard plus their zone heating ability and long, long, trouble free life makes them still very attractive. Someone here mentioned that once I it really made sense to me for the use they mentioned--rental properties. In my house since I want central air I might as well use a heatpump.

I doubt I'll be heating with light bulbs any time soon--but I do admit in the winter I'm quicker to use the halogen torchiere lamps than in the summer.

Bill in IL · Dec 9, 2014

Your right you don't get much heat out of LED but they sure do build a lot of heatsink into those LED bulbs.

RayP(MI) · Dec 9, 2014

I doubt if a single bulb in a bathroom would produce a measurable amount of heat. Some, but a drop in the bucket. Might better turn it off and save on the elevtric bill.

Put it in a well insulsulated pump house and it's another matter.

gbs · Dec 9, 2014

if you have an air to air not ground source heat pump then you will need some light bulbs to stay warm if the electric heat strips don't switch on when the temp falls to around 25 degrees,never have been able to figure out the sales gimmick about a heat pump getting heat from cold air,they are nothing but a reversible air conditioner ie the higher the ambient air temp the less it cools ,the lower the ambient temp the less it heats, and the whole time it's struggling to keep up in either direction it is consuming electricity at about the same rate, how is that efficient and don't forget once it starts to freeze over it has to switch back to ac mod to de-ice the coils during the time it's doing that it uses about the same wattage not to include the heat strips having to take over

Electrcal waste? not too sure..

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