Prowling Around Ebay for Stuff
I have been spending a bit of time on EBay in the last few weeks. I have specifically been looking to get a pricing indication on:
- LED Downlights
- Reverse Osmosis Water Filters
As part of the energy saving initiatives we want to incorporate are LED downlights. There have been significant advances in this technology over the past 12 months. We are now at a point where LED downlights are a serious consideration to traditional downlights. A new series of high power 5 watt LED globes has been developed by Kee Tat a Chinese light bulb manufacturer. Kee Tat have been developing decorative lighting for the last 15 years. Their focus has been on Christmas lights. About 5 years ago they moved from traditional incandescent to LED. Their latest globes have the following specifications:
- Input voltage - 100v-240Vac
- Input current - 45mA/220V
- Total input power - 10W
- Total output power - 5W
- Output current - 480mA
- Luminous flux - 202-270 lumen
- Color temperature - 4200k
- Color rendering Index - 75
I figure that we might need to increase the number of downlights in the project to account for the lower lumen output than regular 50W diachronic halogen globes. However there will be a significant saving in power consumption. The average room would require 200 watts to light with halogen but only 40 watt in LED. That means you would only use around 20% of the original power requirement. One of the other great benefits is that LED globes have a useful working life of just on ten years. I should be able to acquire these globes for less than $20AUD per globe as part of a product testing initiative.
I have also purchased some LED deck lighting from an EBay store called inDemand-Express. These lights are slightly lower power and work on 12 volt as opposed to the Kee Tat globes. They are however designed for use outdoors.
We have used a reverse osmosis water filter in our current home for at least 10 years. The water is always crystal clear and sweet. Not to mention having a faucet just for drinking water is pretty handy. The unit we have at present is a 3 stage filter. It cost us about $600 ten years ago. I have been able to find on Ebay the upgraded 5 stage unit made in the USA by the same manufacturer. I believe that we will be able to acquire two units for less than we paid for one ten years ago.
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Stage 1 - Poly sediment filter 5 micron depth cartridge
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Stage 2 - Active carbon filter
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Stage 3 - Block carbon filter
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Stage 4 - Reverse osmosis filter membrane type: Thin Film Composite (TFCM)
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Stage 5 - In line activated carbon post filter polishing postfilter: deioniser resin
The reverse osmosis water purifier protects you from the harmful effects of lead, heavy metals, chlorine, chemical contaminants, pathogens, bacteria, E. Coli, cyst, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, taste, odors, and sediments. System production: 116-280 Litres per day