By 2014, all light bulbs must use 25-30% less energy, and by 2020, they must be 70% more energy efficient than they are today. The phase out will begin with the 100w bulb in 2012 and end with the 40w in 2014. But, there is no reason to stock up on these power hungry bulbs! Incandescent bulbs will still be available; they will simply be more energy efficient to remain on the market after 2012.[1]
Bill Shewman, Lighting Sales Consultant for Trinity, says, "Light bulb package terminology is going to change. You will find you are shopping for lumen's instead of watts. Watt is a measure of energy consumption. Lumen is a measure of light output. A standard incandescent bulb simply uses more energy to produce the light that it emits, than a spiral compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) does. Ninety percent (90%) of the energy an incandescent light bulb burns is wasted as heat. The lifespan of an incandescent is also much shorter than the newer CFL which can last about 8-10 times longer."
Lurking Dangers
This change in energy savings is not without its drawbacks, however. At this time, CFL's contain mercury, and the development of a total mercury-free CFL light bulb is still about 10 yrs away.[2] If broken, their clean up must be handled properly. If possible, do not vacuum or use your bare hands. Instead, use cardboard, sticky tape, and a damp towel.[3] Put the broken glass into a plastic bag and place into a recycling container marked specifically for CFL's. Then wash your hands thoroughly. Consumers can be fined if they do not dispose of their broken or burned out CFL light bulbs through proper recycling solutions.[4] To find a CFL recycling location near you, CLICK HERE.
CFL's continue to evolve, with dimmable bulbs now available, along with 3 way varieties. Although the lumens are not as distinguishable as between the old 50/100/150 incandescent bulbs, the energy saved will certainly out way the difference, and time will allow for improvements. We will also begin to see more Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) in the market. LED's last even longer than CFL's and each year there is an increase of LED's used in holiday lighting.
Warm Glow vs Intense Light
When selecting light bulbs look for lumen's or the amount of light that will be produced instead of watts, the amount of energy the bulb will burn. Another change to take note of is the word Kelvin (K). Kelvin is used to indicate the comparative color appearance of a light source. Our old yellowish incandescent bulbs are about 2700K, the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's) range from 2700K to 7500K, and higher. So if you prefer the warm glow of incandescent, look for the CFL with lower Kelvin temperatures. The CFL's with a Kelvin temperature of 5,000K to 6,500K provide a bluish, or intense, light.[5] To see the difference, CLICK HERE:
Without question, Thomas Edison's invention has changed our world. But the incandescent light bulb was born in 1879, and it has had remarkable few updates over the years. I think Mr. Edison would agree, it's time to give it a remake.
Questions about lighting?
Click here to e-mail Bill Shewman, Lighting Sales Consultant for Trinity Home Design Center.
Notes & References:
[1] WorldNetDaily, "Congress bans incandescent bulbs." December 19,
2077.http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=45156 (accessed March 15, 2011).
[2] Farah, Joseph | WorldNetDaily. "Consumers in dark over risks of new light bulbs." April 16,
2007.http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=411122 (accessed March 15, 2011).
[3] Farah, Joseph | WorldNetDaily. "Light-bulb ban craze exceeds disposal plans." May 31,
2007.http://www.wnd.com/news/article.arp?ARTICLE_ID=55948
(accessed March 15, 2011).
[4] Wikipedia, "Compact fluorescent lamp." March 17, 2011.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Compact_fluorescent_lamp (accessed March 17, 2011).
[5] Lavelle, Marianne | USNews. " FAQ: The end of the light bulb as we know it." December 19,
2007.http://money.usnews.com/money/business-econoby/articles/2007/12/19/
faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it (assessed December 15, 2011).
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