[sandorski]

ridenrain ridenrain:

Oh look. North Korea's in the game too:

[N_Fiddledog]

Whataya wanna bet if you fly over Al Gore's newly purchased "ocean front" condo in Florida on Earth Night it's lit up like a Christmas tree in there.

[sasquatch2]

I heard it was near fishermans's wharf in Frisco.....no matter.....

North Korea is "blacked-out" every night....

[sasquatch2]

lily

$1:

Do dimmer switches use less energy?

yes and no! A dimmer switch is a rheostat---which is a variable resister.

By turning the dimmer switch, less power reaches the load (light perhaps) but in the process the resister heats up. Part of the reduced load is wasted in heat. Carefully feel a dimmer switch but don't burn yourself. (keep away from the electrical contacts too, or you will see the light) If you should burn yourself that's just an indication of how the AGW nonsense is intended to burn us all.

[PluggyRug]

sasquatch2 sasquatch2:

lily

$1:

Do dimmer switches use less energy?

yes and no! A dimmer switch is a rheostat---which is a variable resister.

By turning the dimmer switch, less power reaches the load (light perhaps) but in the process the resister heats up. Part of the reduced load is wasted in heat. Carefully feel a dimmer switch but don't burn yourself. (keep away from the electrical contacts too, or you will see the light) If you should burn yourself that's just an indication of how the AGW nonsense is intended to burn us all.

Not any more.

Dimmer switches use a Triac arrangement, not a rheostat. No heat build up in the switch.

There is a variable resistor which carries only a small current (milliamps), hence no heat.

Lots of info Here.

[PluggyRug]

lily lily:

Thanks for the info, guys.

Does dimming the lights save on energy though? Will my lightbulbs last longer?

Or is it more of a mood enhancement?

Yes they will save energy, an extremely small amount of energy is lost in the switch.

I fitted dimmer switches to all the lights in my house.

Now...here's the rub....some of the low energy (fluorescent) bulbs fail to operate correctly when fed by a dimmer switch. They are improving but not quite there yet.

An incandescent bulb will last longer if it's not continuously turned on/off.
The mechanical stresses caused be heating and cooling shortens it's life. So dimming rather than on/off will make them last longer, although by what factor I have no idea.

[sasquatch2]

PluggyRug

$1:

Now...here's the rub....some of the low energy (fluorescent) bulbs fail to operate correctly when fed by a dimmer switch. They are improving but not quite there yet.

Not some.....most, will not light if dimmed---they just hum---and they have a nasty habit of exploding under low voltage---dimming.....so I am told.

[novachick]

Not fraking likely. I have ships at sea

[martin14]

novachick novachick:

Not fraking likely. I have ships at sea

damn straight sister.. so do I.. and the freaking game is on..


i promise i'll turn it all off.... later.

[mtbr]

newfette newfette:

mtbr mtbr:

turn off the lights...does that mean the TV as well

you'll miss HNIC

its only an hour... and then you can always keep tabs on the game using your cell phone/pda...

thats my plan

the Oilers are going to smack the Flames tonight....a game worth watching.

[Wullu]

Every fucking light, the DVD player, the Xbox, DVR, TV and both computers are on for the next hour.

Primarily as a defence against a Fruitloop Brigade (aka Green Party) visit to the door at the next election.

$1:

Tonight, however, I'll be looking at my neighbours' windows to see which ones are participating in Earth Hour. I'll be noting those houses and when the election campaign comes, I'll be knocking on those doors. I'll be armed with the knowledge that these are environmentally aware and concerned people and they are prime targets for a GPC campaign. I may knock on some of those doors even before an election.

More than worth the cost of the go juice if they don't show!

[TattoodGirl]

Wow...dont see what the big deal is with shutting things down for hour...what you cant entertain yourselves for an hour in the dark?

You can do alot of fun stuff in the dark for an hour

If anything you will save a bit on your next bill and there is nothing wrong with conserving energy...Or maybe you all are afraid of the dark...

[mtbr]

I'm going to see if I can burn the bearings out of my electric meter.

Top speed is probably about 300rpms

Maybe I'll raise the garage door and run both cars for an hour as well

what the heck I'll go out back and burn some scrap lumber in the fire pit .

[Wullu]

I am having fun. At this very moment I am offsetting at least four and maybe as many as six or seven morons!

[sasquatch2]

Sorta funny here. The local failed LIBRANO nominee, who heads the local school board, heard of my intent and telephoned and threatened to call the police if I turned all my lights on. I had the dictaphone handy and taped the call. The local constabulary are fascinated---and plan to visit him after 8.....