i want to be clear.

1) this isn't free energy, in the generative sense. it's energy recycling. i'm not generating energy out of nothing, i'm trying to find a way to reuse the light energy being ejected by the lights as waste. and, maybe you could reuse the energy from the heaters, too, which would be even more cost effective.

2) it's not free in terms of money, either. it costs me money to run the lights. it's just that i'm running the lights anyways, and the lights are currently relatively cheap. further, if i can find a way to generate electricity from the heaters, that's energy that my landlord is paying for.

3) it's therefore not a perpetual motion machine, and i'm not breaking the second law. certainly, i can't get more energy than i'm generating. but, lighting and heating are inherently wasteful, and if we go out of our way to efficiently recycle the energy we're wasting, then the end result may just go to show you how much you're actually wasting.