With all the talk of building green and making your home more green things can get overwhelming. People just used to use a standard incandescent light bulb in their homes, but then CFL’s or Compact Fluorescent Lights came out and now there are LED and halogen and it keeps getting more confusing.
We understand feeling confused and overwhelmed, we do too, sometimes. BUT that’s why we have this blog, so that we can share what we learn with you and hopefully ease some of the confusion! Plus, it’s Earth Day, so what better a way to celebrate then to discuss energy efficient lighting.
It is important to note that the federal government passed a bill recently that will outlaw many wattages of the standard incandescent bulb in 2012! (Guess that means we should start learning about alternatives now)
CFL Pros:
-They are the most cost effective all the alternatives
-They are about four to five times more efficient then incandescents
-Can get colors very close to standard incandescent bulbs
-Pin-based CFL’s withstand heat better then screw-in CFL’s
-Pin-based will last about 10,000 hours
Screw-in will last about 6,000 hours
CLF Cons:
-Contain Mercury
-Expensive to dim
-Do not dim to warm glow
-Still limited fixture options
-Must warm up to reach full brightness
LED Pros
-More efficient than incandescent
-Longest life (30,000 to 50,000 hours)
-Emit no ultraviolet light
-Can be embedded into surface
-Efficiency improves 100% every 2 years
LED Cons:
-More expensive
-Color quality and consistency varies greatly
-Do not dim to warm glow
-Send light in only one direction
Halogen Pros:
-Best color rendering
-Fully dimmable
Halogen Cons:
-Less efficient then CFL's and LED's
-Put out more heat
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