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re: question about compact fluorescents
14 jul 2001
dave hinz wrote:
>...not only are you using 100 watts of power to light the bulb, but
>you then have to exert another 200 watts of power (in form of air
>conditioning, at his guess of 50% efficiency), in order to get rid
>of that 100 watts worth of heat.
makes sense, given that 50% efficiency estimate, but... acs and
fridges are heat pumps, ie they move heat from one place to another
vs converting electrical energy directly into heat, as in a resistor.
a typical ac can move 3 btu of heat energy while consuming 1 btu of
electrical energy (or 3 wh with 1 wh.)
this ratio is called the cop (coefficient of performance.) you might
say an ac is 300% efficient, if you didn't mind talking about an
efficiency greater than 100%.
the "eer" (energy efficiency ratio) is a bastard ratio of heat moved
in btu/h divided by electrical power used in watts. since 1 wh is
3.41 btu, the eer is 3.41 times the cop. the "seer" is a "seasonal
eer," meaning it's fudged up for different temps over a year.
nick
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