When it comes to energy-efficient lighting, many consumers, filled with good intentions, have carted an armload of new light bulbs home, only to see that each bulb presented a different problem – not fitting in non-traditional lamp sockets or under the shades, emitting a cold light reminiscent of a hospital, having to warm up for minutes before being suitable, or not working with a dimmer switch. Choosing to swap incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and other energy-saving technologies is one of the easiest and most effective steps toward going green, but can be confounding unless you know what you are purchasing.
Save Energy and Money
First, understand why you are making the switch. CFL bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last more than 10 times longer. While CFLs have a higher purchase price, the energy savings from the decreased energy use and increased life of the bulbs are substantial. Assuming a cost per kilowatt of 15 cents, replacing 44 wasteful bulbs in a medium-sized home can save $3,500 over the life of the first set of energy-efficient bulbs.
Bulb Shapes and Sizes
CFLs are available in various shapes and sizes. The trick is matching the bulb to the task. Most people associate CFLs with a curly-q shape, but a range of traditionally-styled bulbs is available. Generally, spiral fluorescent bulbs are ideal in fixtures allowing airflow such as lamps, pendants, and wall sconces. However, if your lamp or fixture reveals part of the bulb, or if the shade fits onto the bulb, you can purchase CFLs that are covered to look like a standard incandescent.
Flood CFLs are designed for recessed fixtures and cast light evenly on your task area. Globes can be used in vanity strips found over bathroom sinks, or in hanging pendant lamps. Standard CFLs do not work on dimmer switches, but special dimmable CFL bulbs are available, as are bulbs for three-way sockets, outdoor use, and for chandeliers and decorative lighting.
Light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) are a great energy-saving option, as they use 80% less electricity than comparable incandescents, last 25 times longer (25,000 hours or more) and are manufactured without mercury. They are relatively expensive, but are very popular for use in decorative lighting, chandeliers, or night lights.
Quality of Light
The light produced by CFLs falls in a range of colors. The most desired color, described as “soft white” or “warm white” (around 2,700 Kelvin), will bring out natural color tones and is ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and home offices. “Bright white” (around 4,100K), a cold or bluish white, produces a clean light good for garages, basements, and some reading lamps. While it may be tempting to purchase the bulb labeled “daylight” (5,000K) or “natural”, this light is best for commercial spaces such as galleries, stores, and restaurants.
A Few Words about Mercury
A single CFL bulb contains about 5 mg of mercury, though premium, very low-mercury CFLs are also available. To put this in perspective, old “under the tongue” thermometers contained 500 mg of mercury. When a CFL is in use and intact, no mercury is released. For disposal, the EPA recommends recycling old CFLs. Some national chains, like Home Depot, recycle CFL bulbs for free. If a CFL breaks, simply air out the room, carefully sweep the pieces into a plastic bag, and throw it away.
Be Even More Efficient
After you make the switch to CFLs, kick your efficiency up a few more notches. Add task lights to desks, tables, and night stands so that if you are working at your desk or reading, the entire room isn’t illuminated. Incorporate more daylight into your home by opening blinds or installing solar tubes, which are like skylights in tube form. Of course, keep lights off during the day or remove some bulbs from a fixture if it has more than are needed. Always use the lowest wattage needed for a task, as that saves energy as well. Train yourself and your family members to turn out the lights when leaving a room or install room occupancy sensors that do this automatically.
These simple steps, when combined with a light bulb swap-out, are a great way to reduce the energy you use to light your home. If you’d like to receive a free guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting, or are interested in seeing the many types of energy-efficient bulbs available, send me an e-mail. I’d be happy to help you learn more about savings that will have a positive impact on both your wallet and our world.
This article was provided by local Green Irene Eco-Consultant Jo Starr of Green Starr Makeovers. She helps Northern Arizona residents implement proven green solutions in their homes and starts them on the path to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable lifestyle. Contact Jo at GreenStarr.Flagstaff@greenirene.com, or visit www.greenirene.com/1301 for more information.
Joseph Smyth has been in the profession of architecture, planning and development for over 40 years. He is recognized internationally for his creative and comprehensive work in the fields of ecologically sustainable community planning, design and development, and has delivered papers in conferences on these subjects across the U.S. and around the World including in Europe, Australia, Africa, and South America. Joseph has been a resident in the Verde Valley for 15 years.
A Very interesting article, nice to see you wern’t worrying people about the dangers of fluoescent bulbs. There is a lot of scare mongering going on at the moment. For more info on fluorescent lights click over to:
http://fluorescentlamp.wordpress.com/
Thanks Joseph
CFLs will fast become a thing of the past. As a lighting designer they are a nightmare to work with especially if you have the three types of lighting every room requires for balance. Direct, indirect and accent. One of the biggest issues I see is that people who have had good lighting design or professional lighting design jump on the green wagon and end up making their room into something it was not designed to look like. CFLs for the most part cannot be dimmed, so forget that ambiance feeling. Some new ones can, IF you have the right kind of dimmer. If you have a control system like Lutron, or Leviton or others, they will not interface even with “dimmable” CFLs. These systems take a “dimming ballast” and if you plug a CFL into one of these systems you can damage your control system.
The article was correct regarding bulb temperature. This is critical, and it is also critical that you do not mix color temperatures, especially in the same fixture. Have you ever gone into an office and seen what appeared to be different colors in a florescent fixture? Maintenance has mixed color temperature bulbs or ordered the wrong ones.
It is also important to note that if you have an area where you need the light just for momentary use, like a closet, etc. do not use a CFL. They can take up to a minute to come to full brightness and the older they get the longer they take. Look for an incandescent that is marked 130 volts for longer lasting bulbs. Also, GE and other have some interesting incandescent bulbs on the market. You will see bulbs labeled 52 watts, 70 watts etc. These used to be 60 watt bulbs and 75 watts bulbs. Technology is also progressing in these areas. And the wattage may not mean much. What you are looking for is lumens. What is the “light output”? Some 52 watt bulbs actually have the light output of a 60 watt bulb and so on.
Under cabinet lighting is also very popular. You can use incandescent but I prefer T4 fluorescents. They come in a variety of color temperatures. T12 fluorescents are the big bulbs; many fixtures now use T8, like garages etc. T4 are half that size and not much bigger than a fat pen, can be daisy chained. They come in a variety of lengths. They are mostly available on line and are not expensive. And unlike a CFL, they typically give 100% rated brightness within a couple of seconds. You may think that Home Depot and Lowes are the answer to all lighting, they are only the start. The internet is your playground. Investigate, design and install. Have fun with lighting.
Your accent lights are typically small fixtures that use some sort of MR16, or MR 12 at 12 or 24 volts. They require a transformer system. This type of accent lighting can make or break a room. If you have accent lights now, and throw in non dimmable CFLs in other fixtures, you can easily destroy the mood of a room, so be careful in what you do to save a few bucks.
If you have the ability to control the voltage to a light, lamp etc, like a control system or a simple dimmer, remember that dimming just a bit will extend the light of an incandescent bulb, sometimes up to 3 times its rated life. If you keep that in mind, you may want to replace that standard on off light switch with a dimmer which are not that expense and stick with incandescent bulbs. This gives you instant light, mood change capability and you will not make an error on the color temp. And you may end up saving the same amount of money long term.
More importantly, CFLs will not be around that long. They are being replaced by LEDs. Many LEDs are dimmable, and use a lot less power THAN A CFL, and come in a variety of color temperatures. They also have standard bases so they replace existing bulbs, and are smaller. LEDs can be super bright, and are used in the backlighting of many new flat screen TVs. They last way longer than a CFL. This technology is gradually creeping into the lighting system and WILL REPLACE CFL and many incandescent bulbs. LED is available in a variety of configurations including stick tape continuous strips for under cabinet lighting. To give you and idea of what is coming, you can visit this site and see all the LED applications. http://www.digi-lighting.com/
Enjoy your lights!
Remember, you can jump on a green wagon if you want, but don’t do it until you get the facts. Feeling good about something is important, but things may not be as green or as convenient as some would have you believe. Enjoy the change.