I was out buying toilet parts today (more on that in a minute–I’m sure you’re thrilled), and while I was there, I looked at light bulbs. I needed a few. And I noticed something. The 40W equivalent CFLs use 9 watts today. The same as LEDs. So I bought a package of (4) CFLs for $1.85. The local utility subsidizes CFLs, since it’s cheaper to buy all its customers CFLs than it is to build new power plants.
I got home and checked one of my 40W equivalents that I’ve had for a while. 13 watts.
So it would appear that CFLs are like most other things. As technology improves, they get more efficient. To the tune of about 40%, in this case. That’s not quite enough difference to make me go throw out working bulbs, but it’s enough that if a bulb burns out after five years instead of seven or nine, I don’t mind.
I switched away from 40w equivalents for a long time because they seemed overly dim, but I find the current-generation 40w bulbs are fine in overhead fixtures where you use multiple bulbs.
As for the toilet parts, my toilet internals are wearing out. So I had half a mind, if I was going to rip a toilet apart anyway, to convert it to dual-flush. So I bought an MJSI Hydroright converter kit.The package promises that the kit installs in 10 minutes and almost as easily as replacing a light bulb. Maybe in some toilets they are, but not mine. In one toilet, the fill valve and flapper are so close together that I think they’ll interfere with each other, so I don’t know if I can convert it at all. The other toilet is so different from the pictures, I’m going to have to call the manufacturer’s 800 number to see if I can use it at all.
So I was hoping I’d be able to say I know a way to save a hundred bucks a year in water bills with a 10-minute project involving a $22 part, but that’s only true if you’re lucky, or if you tear into toilets a lot. But I was able to replace the fill valve with a new, efficient model, and I’ll get some savings from that, even if it’s the only upgrade I can cram into that toilet. But be warned that the efficient fill valves require considerably more tweaking than the traditional ones with a floating ball. It probably only took me 10 minutes to install it, but it took me a whole lot longer than that to tweak it to work right.
And I’m sure that’s a whole lot more than you ever wanted to know about my toilets.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.