Most efficient lighting method?

[Scarecrow]

In the PAW, what would be the most efficient method of illumination of a fortified house or elsewhere?

Oil lamp?
Candles?
Coleman lantern?

[El Maximo]

Are we talking efficient or practical? Gas lamps would provide the most candle-feet/hour, but I don't know where'd you get gas. Candles and even oil lamps are fairly easily produced if your settled in, but they don't put out much light.

My vote: oil lamps.

[Vindex]

I use a flourescent camp lantern. It runs on rechargeable batteries which I keep charged with a solar powered battery charger.

The flourescent bulb will last much longer than sodium bulbs, but LED would be better; looking into that.

[El Maximo]

Led's work great, I know how long they last, but the light they put off weirds me out. I'd hate to have to read or see with that kind of light.

[BloodLust]

In the PAW, what would be the most efficient method of illumination of a fortified house or elsewhere?

Oil lamp?
Candles?
Coleman lantern?

All...

My priority would be:
Oil lamp
Candles
LED
Coleman lantern

Oil can be produced,/made and so are candles. so they are replenishable.
LEDs are long lasting and don't blow out. You can have months of light on a number of batteries and with the right LED lamp or flashlight. Solar LED lamps are quite efficient.

The coleman lanterns are great, but can't really be replenished in the paw. Still nice to have.

[Agent281]

I say we all go with jack-o-lanterns. That way we can all carve ZS into them and we will know ZS was/is there.

[Gunny]

I like having a coleman lantern in my camp, simply because it produces a damn fine amount of BTU's. In an enclosed yet partially vented tent, it can raise the air temp a good 15 degrees in a short time.

[Markedcards00]

Has anyone seen those high-efficiency lightbulbs? They last almost as long as LED's but give off more "traditional" light. I'm stockpiling these and candles as my light source.

[the_klenzer]

I use a flourescent camp lantern. It runs on rechargeable batteries which I keep charged with a solar powered battery charger.

The flourescent bulb will last much longer than sodium bulbs, but LED would be better; looking into that.

I'm with you. Sun power will always be there, but propane/oil will eventually become harder to find.

I'd kick it up a notch:
Solar panel recharging a portable battery/power pack, running a couple 9w compact flourescents.

[Mssr G.K.Glaser]

I'm not certain having lights on all night is a good idea for the PAW. It seems like one of the best ways to draw unwanted attention, be it from zombies or regular old fashioned living humans. I expect I'll want to use the light of the Sun for as long as I can and tuck myself in when it gets too dark to read. I'll have emergency lights around, but those are for emergencies.

[Mssr G.K.Glaser]

Maybe something like this, if you absolutely have to be up and about at night. They're pretty.

[BloodLust]

Here's a good product on a good site:
Everlite Solar Spotlight

[thorian]

Oh Sams has solar charged motion sensor lights ( like for the yard ) for 3$30 I was wanting something like that for my garage ( no electricity ran ) the solar panel is attached to a 30' cable and you can put the light anywhere.

Walk in to garage at night light turns on get tool 1-2 minutes later light turns off.

[BloodLust]

www.solatube.com

http://solaglobal.com/int_res_products.php

Natural lighting alternative.

[Creaux]

I think LEDs will last a ludicris amount of time, tens of thousands of hours. A researcher also accidentally found a way to make LEDs that closely match the sun in terms of light output, those should be hitting the market sometime soon.

A solar cell or wind power or whatever else is appropriate for your location should work fine.

And as far as artificial lighting goes, look at the darkness outside right now. You cannot sleep 12 hours a day. Something must be done.

[El Maximo]

I can sleep 12 hours a day...theoretically, so could you. Back in the day before (relatively) cheap lighting, farmers woke up maybe and hour or two before dawn and went to bed after dark. Sure, it's more like 10 hours, but thats they way life was like for 90% of the population before 1800.

I love sleeping the weekends away. Go to sleep around 11pm friday, get up at 4pm saturday....have some dinner...asleep at 7pm and not up till 2pm sunday....goooood times.

[Creaux]

I can sleep 12 hours a day...theoretically, so could you. Back in the day before (relatively) cheap lighting, farmers woke up maybe and hour or two before dawn and went to bed after dark. Sure, it's more like 10 hours, but thats they way life was like for 90% of the population before 1800.

I love sleeping the weekends away. Go to sleep around 11pm friday, get up at 4pm saturday....have some dinner...asleep at 7pm and not up till 2pm sunday....goooood times.

well, yeah, but do you want to be awake in the dark for 4 hours a day?

[Shotzee]

i agree
fuck staying up late
i want to get to sleep right when it becomes dark, and get up right at dawn, so im not wasting any sunlight

but in the case that i become an insomniac because im scared shitless from the hundreds of zombies everywhere i would use leds, or candles

maybe zombies are color blind, which would be sweet, then you could use a red cover on your flashlight, and they wont see you

[El Maximo]

Just because your colorblind doesn't mean you don't see light...it just comes in shades of gray.

Eh, I was just stating what happens to be my usual weekend sleepfests...In the PAW, most definately my sleep patterns would change. Right now I have TV, Computer, telephone, and electric lighting. Makes a big difference

[LD!]

I do homeworld but candle light only now ever sense I lost power and had a majoy project duh. It help me stay focused. but I need about 3-4 candles to read properly

[Ironsides]

i will use what ever light i can get my hands on and use as littie of it as i can

[Cheski]

I would go with an LED option--- mixed with solar power and/or some form of hand crank to spin up some joice for the LEDs being as the consume so little--- it would be that daunting of a task.

oh and LEDs are CHEEEEEEAP.

Don't want to burn down my safe haven from the undead hordes....

just my $.02

[Grither]

Mag light for me. You can use it to beat the crap out of things, even if the batteries die.

i want to get to sleep right when it becomes dark,

Problem is they mostly come at night... mostly.

[TheLastRifleMan]

I am colorblind and I see colors, not just in the way everyone else does.

Candles put out a surprising amount of light. I have made oil lamps using vegetable oil, a baby food jar and a peice of cotton clothesline.

Open flame devices do have their problems though. Obvious ones.

Back during the Rennaissance, someone discovered that by placing a mirror behind a candle, the light became more intense and bright. If you can find (or make) one of those small candle lanterns with a mirror, these project a fair amount of light.

I am with Gunny. Good ol' Coleman lanterns put out a lot of light with the additions of heat. We used them a year ago in Canada when night fishing to find our way back to the dock. It ran for hours, just sitting at the end of the pier, and we could see it at over a mile.

The main problem with Coleman lanterns is that the are not real tough.
One drop and they are done for.

Other then that, they put out the most light for inside use, other then flourescent electric lights.