Tips to Switch to Energy Efficient Lightbulbs

January 23rd, 2012

Did you know that when you turn on a traditional incandescent bulb, you have actually turned on a heat source? It’s true, because 90% of the electricity used to power the bulb generates heat and only 10% produces light. That lost energy is money we’re throwing away.

Recognizing this inefficiency, the US Congress in 2007 passed legislation which went into effect January 1 of this year, mandating a change that regular light bulbs must use less energy. The requirement to achieve new standards has spurred innovation in lighting and given consumers three new choices.

New light bulbs

Each of the new products has unique characteristics that will affect your buying decision, based on application and price. Buying light bulbs is not an easy task anymore, shoppers in the lighting aisle now have to make a lot more decisions before making a purchase.

• Halogen Incandescent Bulbs have a filament like regular bulbs, but operate more efficiently because the filament is encased in a glass capsule with a halogen gas atmosphere. These last up to 3 times longer than equivalent incandescent bulbs, producing a whiter, brighter light for the same number of watts, and can be dimmed. Although they use 28% less energy, they still produce a lot of heat.
• Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are the best value because they are moderately priced, last 10-20 times longer than an average incandescent bulb, and use only 25% of the energy required. The CFL floodlights are perfect for outdoor lighting or for use in places where the lights are left on for long periods of time. You save both time and money because you replace them less often. Many cannot be dimmed, and frequently turning them on and off affects their performance and life. Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, they must be properly disposed. You can take unbroken ones to home improvement centers for free recycling. Visit this link to search for CFL recycling center locations near you.
• Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the longest-lived and most cost-efficient product, but unfortunately cost the most initially to buy. Also the color of the light emitted may be objectionable to some people, they cannot be dimmed, and are best-suited only for particular applications. But their small size, durability, color production, insensitivity to moisture and cold, and longevity make them an outstanding choice for Christmas lights, motion detectors, flashlights, car dashboards and taillights. They brighten instantly, even in cold weather, and their performance is not affected by turning them on and off.

The government’s goal in this changeover is for the average home or business to consume less power for their lighting needs. You however want to maintain the amount of light to which you are accustomed. So in order to accurately assess the brightness, you will have to begin using lumens instead of wattage to compare bulbs. Here’s a visual guide you can print and carry with you to help convert watts to lumens when shopping for light bulbs.

Helpful resources

There are several useful resources online to help you through this transition.

• Sylvania has created a chart that shows many bulb replacement options.
• Use this light bulb energy savings calculator to see how the lighting in your house compares to the U.S. average and get an idea how much you can save when you switch to energy-efficient bulbs.
• Here’s another chart to help you decide which bulb is best for your home and budget.
• Visit this Energy Star Choose A Light Guide to visualize the effect of light temperature choices and understand bulb-specific light choices.

Choose wisely where to place long-life energy-efficient bulbs, like placing CFLs or LEDs in hard to reach areas or lights that are often left on for long periods of time. Although the new bulb choices are more expensive than the old incandescents, they’re continuing to improve and drop in price. Buying the cheaper halogen incandescent bulbs may seem like a good idea, but it doesn’t really save enough energy to save you money in the long run. With lighting costs accounting for 25% of your electrical bill, it’s easy to save by changing a few bulbs to CFLs or LEDs.

The innovations described here are only the beginning. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports that Lighting Science Group in collaboration with Google will produce an Android@Home Intelligent LED bulb later this year. The bulb will have an embedded chip that will allow people to control it using an Android smartphone, tablet or computer.

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