Thoughts on gas lanterns in green homes?
akhuntia
| Posted in Green Building Techniques on
I am considering installing gas porch lights (wall mounted) when we do a deep energy retrofit of our 1888 victorian home. I think the look is great and cost is reasonable but I am debating the contradiction it would present by using such an inefficient lighting method on a high performance home. Do you guys have any opinions? thanks in advance.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Sounds like you already know the answer...it would present a contradiction to use such an inefficient lighting method on a high performance home.
Avoid the fire risk with some cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate LED bulbs. Think of it as 19th century charm meets 21st century technology
Alok,
When our great-grandparents were presented the opportunity to abandon gas lighting in favor of electric lighting, they didn't hesitate to make the switch to electric lighting, because of all of its advantages.
And when they switched, they were choosing incandescent bulbs! Now that we have LEDs, there really isn't any debate...
It's your house, and I for one appreciate your willingness to consider such and the ramifications.
Thanks for the comments everybody. i was curious about the perceptions by green building folk. At this point I am leaning towards the gas (if budget permits) as I am considering the lanterns to be finish materials and not part of the mechanical/electrical systems of the home.
Alok,
Your question brings us into an interesting area full of contradictions. Once houses are built or retrofitted to a high level of efficiency, occupant behaviour can easily become a much bigger source of energy use than the basic structure itself. Plug loads, propane patio heaters and barbecues (and perhaps gas lanterns), large cars, recreational vehicles - the list is endless At what point do we begin to look at total energy consumption due to lifestyle choices, rather than isolate those that are part of the house's mechanical system?
As builders and designers we generally ignore these other loads because we have no control over them, but they can bring an inherent absurdity to some projects which on the surface appear to be very efficient, like a Passive House built on a green-field site in a commuter community with no nearby services.
Part of the decision making could be how often you plan to use them. If it's a few special occasion holiday gatherings that you five them up, for a total of 18 hours a year, it's really not a big deal. But if it's your security lighting on all night every night, that's pretty different. You could hide some LED strips that you have one for daily use, but have the visible decorative fixtures be the gas lights. I was just experimenting with some LED strips and found that I could light my front door quite well with just 1 or 2 W of power consumption.
Alok,
1. Reduced indoor air quality.
2. Increased fire hazard.
3. Fossil fuel burning contributes to global warming.
4. Burning fossil fuel indoors increases your cooling load during the summer.
Martin. Your points are acknowledged. To be clear though, I am considering the lamps for an exterior application. Safety is my highest concern which I need to research some more. Thanks.
Alok,
I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to use these lights indoors.
Before I got a PV system for my off-grid house, I had a propane-fueled light mounted on my living room wall. (It was a pain. It had very delicate and expensive mantles that needed frequent replacement.) I imagined that you had the same idea for your house.