Live Earth concert/carbon footprint calculator

[Sue J]

Maybe here is a good place to ask this....

We have been using CFL bulbs for years. Our city gives every household a CFL bulb twice a year and have been doing this since before it was popular, maybe the last 10-12 years. But they don't offer bulbs that can be used with dimmers. We have a couple of ceiling fans with lights on them and they are operated by remote controls. You can dim the lights with the remote. We never use the dimming feature, we just keep the lights on full power and turn them on and off.

I have checked all the local stores, which now carry plenty of CFLs and none of them carry bulbs that can be used in dimmers. All the bulbs say not to use in dimming fixtures. I tried regular CFLs in the ceiling fan lights, just to see what would happen and they flicker.

Has anyone here found CFLs that can be used in dimmers? Or can I do something to the ceiling fan light so that it's no longer a dimmer, just a regular on/off function?

 

[Alex]

I haven't touched beef in 7 years. I'm doing my part!

Me either! I always use a knife and fork.

 

[RunningBum]

Maybe here is a good place to ask this....

...

Has anyone here found CFLs that can be used in dimmers? Or can I do something to the ceiling fan light so that it's no longer a dimmer, just a regular on/off function?

Googling "CFL dimmer" got this hit from GE:

3. Can I use a compact fluorescent light bulb with a dimmer switch?
To use a compact fluorescent bulb on a dimmer switch, you must buy a bulb that's specifically made to work with dimmers (check the package). GE makes a dimming compact fluorescent light bulb (called the GE Longlife Plus Soft White Energy Saving Bulb) that is specially designed for use with dimming switches. We don't recommend using regular compact fluorescent bulbs with dimming switches, since this can shorten bulb life. (Using a regular compact fluorescent bulb with a dimmer will also nullify the bulb's warranty.)

I'd say to check your store every few months, or ask someone who works the lighting dept.

The problem I have with CFLs is that you only get savings if the lights are on for a long time. Except for the room I'm in, I tend to keep lights off. I have one room where a CFL works great. They flicker badly in the fixtures another room I tend to spend a lot of time in. They are two wall sconses that I suspect aren't getting full power for some reason. The other rooms I might flick on a light for 5 minutes and then turn it off. There is talk about making the traditional kind illegal to sell in a few years, but they make more sense in bathrooms, closets, stairways, hallways, and places like that.

 

[Danny]

I want to see if anyone can beat me on the number of CFBs in the house. I went a little nuts on them the last few years when they got smaller - I now have 44 active ones and 2 dozen in the wings.

 

[bright eyed]

7.65

about 3 short flights per year, for work - even as i work from home lowering output - the flights dissolve that credit pretty quickly!!!

 

[bright eyed]

hm, maybe not that much it's 7.3 w/out the flights.

8.6 if i had a hummer ha ha

 

[SecondCor521]

I'm at 4.7 tons/year. If I don't drive my car it drops to 0.45 tons/year.

Interestingly, I randomly changed the state at the very top of the form to a different one and left the rest of the entries the same. My footprint nearly doubled (to 8.25 tons/year). This test result makes no sense to me and makes the web form results suspect.

2Cor521

 

[pfpelican]

U.S. comedian Chris Rock expressed the kind of disbelief shared by many on the day that Live Earth would make a lasting difference, even if he was only joking:
"I pray that this event ends global warming the same way that Live Aid ended world hunger," he said in London.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

5.35

I left "State" at the top blank since I live in Canada...don't know if that makes a difference or not.

 

[FIRE'd@51]

The results seem to be very sensitive to the state you select. For example, if you enter the same data for WV as for WA, the results for WV are nearly 3 times higher. Evidently, the calculator takes into account the fact that in WV, electricity is primarily produced by coal-fired plants, while in WA it's hydro. Also, you get varying results for miles driven in different states, so the calculator must take into account different gasoline emission standards in different states.

My conclusion is that it's just not possible to get average (or below) results in many states, no matter how "green-minded" you are.

 

[Alex]

U.S. comedian Chris Rock expressed the kind of disbelief shared by many on the day that Live Earth would make a lasting difference, even if he was only joking:
"I pray that this event ends global warming the same way that Live Aid ended world hunger," he said in London.

If the TV ratings are any indication - they were the in last place for the time period - Live Earth was a dud.

 

[clifp]

7.3 which possibly overstates it since electricity in Hawaii is very expensive