Re: N:Vision CFL's

On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:48:30 GMT, nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston) wrote in
message <4605c4e1.800029906@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

What will the power factor tell us? I tested the 23W floodlight and the
14W bulbs and their PF is .61. The old GE helical CFL comes in at .65. A
new 60 watt incandescent reads .99 "pee effs" (-:

Wikipedia's article on Power Factor Correction gives a pretty good
explanation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor_correction

If incandescents are banned, this may become more important. I believe
Europe already requires power factor correction for switch mode power
supplies although I do not know whether this extends to those used with
CFLs. I also do not know whether California (which has effectively banned
linear power supplies) requires PFC for switch mode supplies.

I think there were some reports on Don Klipstein's page (or maybe to one
linked to his) of CFL PFs as low as .35.

Hmmm ...

Isn't "as low as" (i.e., the worst) is the very *least* useful number to cite
when objectively assessing the future of _improving_ technology ?

Aren't we more interested in where the technology might go, than where it has
been?

The 20-watt (75-watt equivalent) Technical Consumer Products (TCP) SpringLamp
I introduced earlier this evening in a different thread in the N:Vision
CFL's discussion has a _rated_ (shown on the box) power factor of " >.90 ".

The power factor that I actually measured on two different CFLs (using a Kill
O Watt meter) ranged from 0.94-0.97 (!)

Bout the worst I can think up to say bout them specs is thet there ain't much
room left for improvement ...

Yet another Emily Litella "Never-Mind" CFL moment in the making ...

.... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECONtrol.org
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Replacement NAS?
    ... wall-socket power meter from Maplin. ... 11W CFL: 11W ... does the 2000MU resolve to tenths of a watt on the low power ... lowest reading of 0.2W referenced in the specs. ...
    (uk.comp.homebuilt)
  • Re: N:Vision CFLs
    ... The old GE helical CFL comes in at .65. ... Europe already requires power factor correction for switch mode power ... linear power supplies) requires PFC for switch mode supplies. ...
    (comp.home.automation)
  • Re: CFL bulbs -- how bright for how long.
    ... This seems to show that Osram/Sylvania have the shortest life and a ... I have horses in a barn and have a 10watt CFL ... get very dim in cold weather, and when our recent cold spell dropped ... I'd like to cut down power usage, as well as eliminating this dimming ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Why we pay for 33 watts of electricity to run a 18 watt CFL bulb
    ... Specifically, the CFL test. ... The DC power draw by the inverter was 19 watts. ... It interprets harmonic energy much differently. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: Why we pay for 33 watts of electricity to run a 18 watt CFL bulb
    ... nuclear power, coal/oil power, food to fuel, ... ... Specifically, the CFL test. ... harmonic energy circulates between the CFL and the inverter. ... This meter measures watts, vars, power ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)