IKEA Lights

[swidders]

Is it just me?

Regardless of whether you believe with global warming being due to man's folly or not, there is a limited supply of energy sources available in its current format.

So, how come IKEA for example, amongst others get away with so many lights on in their lighting display area. Totally unnecessary. Spent a few minutes today switching off about 20 of these, with no appreciable detriment to the overall effect of the display.

As for lights on motorways, and shop hoardings left on overnight, don't get me going here!!!!

 

[WDIK]

ok

 

[securespark]

sw

Look at it the other way. This display presumably contains (if my local Ikea is anything to go by) a high proportion of CFL's.

Now, if their display promotes low energy lamps, surely that's got to be a good thing?

OK, they're spending money promoting these lamps, but if CFL use is increased, don't we all benefit?

Lights on m-ways? Not sure what you mean there!

Shops? Well, it's two-fold: security & advertising.

 

[swidders]

Their displays promote selling of lamps, which happen to be CFL. The number lit is grossly disproportionate to the number required. In fact, you could argue that they are suggesting you need to have a lot of these lamps on in order to have a reasonable amount of light.

Motorways - unnecessary number of lights, you could turn off 3 out of every 4 and not decrease the level of danger due to poor visibility.

Shops - Huge great hoardings left on overnight for advertising, which we pay for. Unnecessary and downright irresponsible.

 

[WDIK]

IKEA is a swedish company.

electricity is so cheap everyone there disrespects it and leaves it on 24/7
they go out to work and leave it on during, admittitedly short days.

how do i know?

the wife is swedish and guess my bug bear

as a footnote clf's like flourecents require a huge start current everytime they fire up.

switching them off and on wastes energy

well off doesnt. but on does

 

[RF Lighting]

Not really.

There is a little blip to about 5x the rated current, and this lasts for less than a second, so switching lights off really will save energy.

 

[Steve]

as a footnote clf's like flourecents require a huge start current everytime they fire up.

switching them off and on wastes energy

well off doesnt. but on does

A great myth concocted by those who hate CFLs. Modern CFLs and fluorescent gear only has a short, sharp surge to get the tube lit. It has little or no impact on the overall running cost of the lamp. And modern gear also experiences little detrimental effect from frequent switching.

swidders, I agree with you about shop signs, places like Currys have huge fabric signs with fluorescent tubes behind, there must be 100 tubes in some of these signs. But I drive past them sometimes at gone midnight, and they are normally off then. I understand why they'd keep them lit until then.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with a spark in my new shop. I asked him where the timer was for the outdoor lights (fluorescent lights above the signs and 4 HPS floods down the side), he said there isnt one, they are on individual photocells. I told him that most stores have a timer so they knock off shortly after the shop closes, and come back on at about 6am. He said there wasnt one specced for this job, so couldnt fit one. This was on a job where all "back of house" lighting internally is PIR controlled, and they wouldnt fit a timer for the outdoor lights.

 

[swidders]

penny wise, planet foolish