Les Izmore
Junior Ranger
I know I'm late to this dance, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. This all reminds me of the hype found on fluorescent lighting a while back, when the packaging would make claims along the lines of "Only $5, but will save you $20 on electricity in three months." Right. IF your electric rates are sky high and IF comparing to a light left on all the time and probably several other IFs...
In the past, when we would watch TV in the winter the old incandescent lights would cast off some additional heat close to our bodies. Now with the cooler fluorescents we find ourselves tossing on a blanket and/or turning up the thermostat to compensate for that loss. So do fluorescents really save any money, resources or whatever? It probably depends to some extent on how cold it gets where you live during the winter.
I find that we don't use the Xenon lights enough most of the year for the battery drain to be an issue. We use them more when daylight starts to dwindle and at times when it is cold/wet out and we spend more time in the cabin (and then we're more likely to have the TV on, which I suspect is more of a power drain than the lights).
When it's colder out we're more likely to seek a campground with shore power, so again the battery drain isn't usually an issue. And turning the lights on for a half hour or so before turning in for the night helps to take the chill out of the cabin (of course we also toss the dog in there as well, so she also helps to warm things a bit).
Oh, and when we ran into a cold front and the temp dropped down to 18 degrees overnight we left the galley light on, as a precaution that it didn't get even colder and freeze up the plumbing. I don't know if that made any difference, but at least psychologically it was something that could have helped.
LEDs have lots of great attributes. But sometimes what solves one problem also creates another. Engineers love the effect, as it helps create full employment for the profession (my apologies to any engineers out there - after all, engineers create solutions, but it's marketing that creates demand).
In the past, when we would watch TV in the winter the old incandescent lights would cast off some additional heat close to our bodies. Now with the cooler fluorescents we find ourselves tossing on a blanket and/or turning up the thermostat to compensate for that loss. So do fluorescents really save any money, resources or whatever? It probably depends to some extent on how cold it gets where you live during the winter.
I find that we don't use the Xenon lights enough most of the year for the battery drain to be an issue. We use them more when daylight starts to dwindle and at times when it is cold/wet out and we spend more time in the cabin (and then we're more likely to have the TV on, which I suspect is more of a power drain than the lights).
When it's colder out we're more likely to seek a campground with shore power, so again the battery drain isn't usually an issue. And turning the lights on for a half hour or so before turning in for the night helps to take the chill out of the cabin (of course we also toss the dog in there as well, so she also helps to warm things a bit).
Oh, and when we ran into a cold front and the temp dropped down to 18 degrees overnight we left the galley light on, as a precaution that it didn't get even colder and freeze up the plumbing. I don't know if that made any difference, but at least psychologically it was something that could have helped.
LEDs have lots of great attributes. But sometimes what solves one problem also creates another. Engineers love the effect, as it helps create full employment for the profession (my apologies to any engineers out there - after all, engineers create solutions, but it's marketing that creates demand).
