Tuesday, September 11, 2012

New Tides

Hello everyone! Or is that, Howdy Doodie! (Insert wooden marionette)

New directions are happening over here. I won't have access to a garden anytime in the near future, however, plenty of ideas are brewing over. The upcoming posts will probably concentrate more on theoretical aspects in my life. The upcoming purchase of an acre of land (Within the Year) and the eventual building of a tiny house. Over the last half year my mind has been preoccupied with the notion of living without much overhead. Using only what you need. A luxury minimalism if you will.

Today while bored on one of my days off I spent a considerable amount of time in the box stores. After reading online about various LED lights my curiosity led me to find something tangeable.

The keeper? Philips L-prize winning 60watt equivalent. Producing 940 lumens (60w=800) at 10 watts usage. The L prize is the US' new program to entice manufacturers to make higher efficiency consumer products. This bulb is the first to receive that recognition. Also, thanks to Detroit Edison subsidizing a portion of it, it can be had for 40 bucks instead of 50. Yes. WOW. Heaps of money. Thing is though if you use it 6 hours a day it supposedly lasts 11 years. Yeah yeah. They never do. At least with CFL bulbs. However with CFLs we all buy the cheapest ones available which happen to be horrible chinese goods. I'm near certain the supposed lifespan of them is really based on the quality product which is missing at the base cost units.

So do I honestly believe this LED bulb is going to last? Actually yes. Part of the L-prize is quality testing.

Why the fascination with LED and alternative lighting? If the eventual idea is to use solar panels to produce what I need for a tiny house. Lighting is going to be a large proportion of its usage. If I can design a space with a minimal amount of recessed lighting throughout the spaces then an affordable PV system is attainable. I still wish to live in lavish luxury, however, I want to be efficient at doing so. ;)

LED Magazine - L-prize Winner

Ain't she gorgeous!

6 comments:

  1. WOW! How exciting for you! I like the idea of following along on a journey, of course I might be partial to that type of joyrney, ha. It will be fun to watch and of course participate. I love the idea of a small house and small house living. Why not make it the most comfortable and luxurious you can, while being eco friendly and even off grid. And you know what? You'll have an acre to plant on. You'll have your garden, just in another form.

    On ours, I've kinda resigned myself to ours being year 1, interior, and year 2 should be exterior. It's all good. Can't wait to watch it happen!

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  2. LED lights are really going to be beneficial.LED lifetimes are rated differently than conventional lights, which go out when the filament breaks.

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    1. Such as a point when their output is a percentage of rated?.

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  3. Sounds like you'll have exciting next year with choosing new property and building a new house. Hope you'll take your current garden structures with you :)

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    1. I was pondering over making earthship style structures in order to grow. There's still a bit of time to evolve ideas. I just need to get off my duff and take the Tiny House vision I have and put it down on paper to part it out. Excel sheets and cost analysis. Data, data, data. :)

      The big idea is do I buy land in the southwest to get maximum solar for PV or do I look local to maximize rain collection without needing a large roof.

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