BulbAmerica Official Blog

Energy efficient light bulbs save consumers money

2012-02-13T12:51:00.001-05:00

Little Rock, Ark. (KTHV) -- Energy efficient light bulbs continue to gain popularity as more people recognize the savings, in energy and money, that come with change.

Many people are switching out the regular incandescent bulbs for a more energy efficient alternative. The most popular energy efficient bulbs are Energy-Star rated compact fluorescent, or CFLs, and LED light bulbs.

These energy efficient light bulbs save consumers money on their utility bills as well as other areas of the home. The Arkansas Energy Office says people can also save money on heating and cooling their home.

In most cases, incandescent bulbs produce additional heat when they're on. This causes rooms to heat up more than normal, thus causing an air conditioning unit to work overtime to cool off a room. The energy efficient bulbs do not project any additional heat.

In addition, you can also save money when it comes to purchasing light bulbs. A lighting expert with the Home Depot says an energy efficient light bulb is much cheaper in the long run than an incandescent bulb.

Reverse Vending Machines Make Recycling Easier

2012-02-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

Very often people want to recycle but aren’t sure how. This area of untapped recycling potential is a business opportunity that many companies are jumping in to fill. For example, what are you supposed to do with fluorescent light bulbs? CFLs are widely encouraged as a replacement for incandescent light-bulbs but, they do contain small amounts of mercury and we all know about the dangers of mercury poisoning.

Things like batteries and CFLs should not be thrown away with household hazardous waste (HHW) but many consumers don’t know what they should be doing instead. This is what UK company reVend hopes to change – they are the first company in the world that specializes in supplying “reverse vending machine systems, installation, material recovery and recycling through their experienced management team in RV technology, recycling and waste management.”
What all this means is very simple: when you put your CFL into a big slot in the vending machine, a video camera fitted inside identifies the bulb so it can be sorted, and then you receive a voucher for a free cup of coffee. Swapping an old CFL for a cup of coffee sounds like a good deal to me. In addition to recycling, reVend also provides regular maintenance services for their machines. The machine also comes with an extractor filter to capture any mercury vapour in case of accidental breakage of a light bulb.

reVend claims that there are are over 100,000 Reverse Vending Recycling machines installed throughout the world. The company also says that in addition to the mercury, virtually all the components in a CFL can be reused. The metal bits are sold for scrap, the glass is recycled and the phosphor powder is recycled as well.

Companies like Home Depot have CFL recycling programs where customers can put used CFLs into drop-off boxes. With the gradual and planned phasing out of incandescent light-bulbs, the use of CFLs will only increase thereby exacerbating the problem of mercury pollution. A single CFL has only a small quantity of mercury but in bulk, they pose a problem.

Recycling companies like reVend play an important role in changing public perception towards recycling. Everybody knows what to do with paper and plastic, but when it comes to hard-to-recycle items like CFLs, most people need is a little direction and companies like these can bridge the gap towards safer recycling.

Source: Triple Pundit

Energy adviser: Learn to speak ‘light bulb’ and save some cash

2012-02-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

Clark Public Utilities energy counselors have been fielding questions from consumers and business owners about lighting technology for several years as new and more efficient products have come to the market. Learning to speak “light bulb” is an ongoing challenge for those who want to wisely spend their money and learn about the trade-offs between old and new technologies.

Understanding your lighting options became a bit more complicated late last year when Congress voted to delay the planned phase-out of incandescent light bulbs in favor of more efficient compact fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diode lighting.

Experts say the move, which allows the continued manufacturing and sale of traditional bulbs, will likely slow the transition to the new technologies but not derail it.

Switching two incandescent bulbs to two CFLs would save $102 in 10 years. The calculation includes purchase costs, replacement costs and energy use at three hours a day.

What else should consumers know?

• CFLs represent the best value for consumers today, because they use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. A CFL that has the Energy Star label can save more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime.

• Consumers who replace still-working traditional bulbs with Energy Star CFLs can recover their costs in about six months. After that, they will continue to benefit from the 75 percent energy savings each bulb offers, and they won’t have to change the bulbs for about nine years.

Utility customers can receive a free CFL bulb for every old bulb they recycle -- limited to six per household -- at 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, 8600 N.E. 117th Ave., and 100 Columbia Way, all in Vancouver.

How to compare

Instead of watts, consumers should compare lumens. A lumen measures how much light a bulb will provide, whereas watts measure how much power it uses.

• If you used to buy 100 watt bulbs, look for a bulb with 1600 lumens.

• If you used to buy 75 watt bulbs, look for a bulb with 1100 lumens.

• If you used to buy 60 watt bulbs, look for a bulb with 800 lumens.

• If you used to buy 40 watt bulbs, look for a bulb with 450 lumens.

What about LEDs?

LED light bulbs have the potential to last more than 20 years and save 75 percent on energy costs. However, their initial cost is higher than CFLs. LEDs are still new to market, with only a few 40- and 60-watt replacements available. As sales increase, production costs likely will come down and they will get brighter, cheaper and more energy efficient, experts say. But many LEDs haven’t received the Energy Star label because they do not meet one or more of that program’s performance requirements. An exception to this would be holiday and seasonal lighting, where LED bulbs provide much greater efficiency and comparable brightness to traditional strands.

NATION: New energy efficiency standards phasing out incandescent light bulbs won't be enforced

2012-02-08T14:05:00.004-05:00

New standards in energy efficiency taking effect this year will not be regulated with federal funds as a result of a bill passed in late 2011.

The bill, passed Dec. 16, prohibits the U.S. Department of Energy from spending any money to enforce the efficiency standards, which require newly manufactured light bulbs to produce less heat and operate at about a 30 percent more efficient rate.

Passed as part of President Bush's 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, the law went into effect Jan. 1, but will not be regulated at the federal level.

The standards would have phased out incandescent bulbs by setting efficiency standards that the bulbs don't meet.

"This ruling isn't completely the end of the line for the lighting efficiency standards, but it certainly makes for another toothless law in the books -- for the time being," said Travis Leipzig, spokesman for the River Network, an organization dedicated to preserving rivers, which are vital sources of freshwater.

Opponents were against the law, saying it was another case of the government overreaching its bounds.

According to the National Resource Defense Council, the efficiency standards were projected to save the average U.S. household $85 annually, more than $12.5 billion nationally each year, as well as eliminate the need for the construction of 30-plus power plants.

Leipzig said additional provisions to the bill targeted many other water and energy-related issues, as well as a number of other socio-economic issues that would have been tragic if passed.

Examples of attempted provisions, but not in the final budget agreement, include an attempt to bar the DOE from implementing any significant regulatory actions and an attempt to bar international cooperation on energy research and development at the Department of Energy.

Leipzig said he sees the lack of funding for enforcement as a step backward in moving toward the instituting the best conservation practices that are available.

"This ruling shows that legislators have multiple processes and loopholes that can readily be used in future attempts at curtailing other energy conservation measures and programs," he said.

The legislation also undermines the light bulb manufacturers who have already invested millions of dollars to begin producing more efficient bulbs instead of the older, less efficient bulbs, he said.

Leipzig was unsure how the legislation could impact consumers, but said it seems like a majority of light bulb producers have already invested millions into switching production methods to produce the bulbs.

Because it would cost more to go back to the old manufacturing processes, he assumes a majority will continue to produce the new bulbs. However, some manufacturers that have not made the transition may continue to produce the bulbs with a low risk of any type of regulation, he said.

"Depending on individual state adoption of regulation policies, I would imagine that in many states, there will continue to be a supply of less efficient bulbs available to the market at significantly lower cost than more efficient bulbs," he said.

Source: Heritage

US Joins UK In Move To Low Energy Lighting

2012-02-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

The global move towards low energy lighting has been joined by the US, where incandescent bulbs will be phased out and new technologies such as LEDs brought in.

Despite objections from many in the US, the legislation mandating greater efficiency became law on January 1 this year.

Due in part to the new standards in the US and Europe, major leaps are being made within the lighting industry as research takes place to build better lights and different types of bulb.

The bulb that was invented by Thomas Edison and has been used for so many years is on its way out, and is being replaced by newer more advanced technology that improves energy usage and environmental impact of light bulbs.

The way the whole world views light bulbs needs to change - moving away from a throw away cheap item to something that is more likely to be viewed as a long-life home appliance. LED lighting and other newer technologies can give up to twenty years of use rather than about twelve months from a normal bulb.

Lighting companies in the US are gradually phasing out the old style bulbs, like the 100-watt bulb. New technologies are replacing the former and will use at least 28 per cent less power. These changes will bring the US in line with the UK and other countries in Europe, where eco-friendly bulbs were introduced three years ago.

China will also be joining in this year, banning the 100-watt bulbs and implementing plans for bulbs to have lower wattage by 2016.

"There are about four billion screw-in sockets out there [in the U.S.], and today only a quarter of them have an energy-saving bulb in them," said Noah Horowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"When the standards are in full effect, we'll cut our nation's electric bill by about $12.5 billion a year and eliminate the need for 30 large power plants and all the pollution that comes from them. It's a big deal."

The change in standards comes in as many lighting companies, large and small, are developing new technology for the industry.

This has already included a new type of incandescent bulb, the 72 watt halogen incandescent bulb, which is relatively inexpensive and will fit into existing sockets.

"It's a bulb that costs only marginally more," said Brian Howard, co-author of a book on new lighting technologies, Green Lighting.

"You get the same colour, temperature, light that we're used to. So really the only disadvantage is that they don't last quite as long as fluorescents. The lifetime of halogen incandescent (bulb) is about two to three years".

Small steps of change are beginning and according to the US Energy Star efficiency programme, if every home switched just one bulb with an energy efficient one, the US would save $600 million a year.

Source: Hippy Shopper

A Simple Step You Can Take to "Go Green" Now

2012-02-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) took effect on January 1st, 2012, and will be implemented over the next two years. One of the first things to change is the traditional 100 watt light bulbs. The Act states that light bulbs must use at least 25 percent less energy.
Traditional bulbs will no longer be available in most stores. By January 1st, 2013, the traditional 75 watt light bulbs will be taken off the market and by January 1st, 2014, 60 and 40 watt traditional bulbs will be replaced as well.

Right now you can find the new energy-saving bulbs in most stores. Look for energy-saving bulbs that use 72 watts or less for the same amount of light that a traditional 100 watt bulb produces.
According to the Department of Energy, if you replace 15 traditional bulbs with energy saving light bulbs you could save about $50 per year.

Many of the energy-saving bulbs also last longer which is an additional savings for you. Nationwide, lighting accounts for about 10 percent of home energy use. With the new EISA standards, by 2015, U.S. households could be saving nearly 6 billions dollars alone.

Source: Examiner

BulbAmerica.com's New CFL Light Bulbs Offering and a Funny New Video to Promote the Longer Lasting Technology

2012-02-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

Consumers are looking for environmentally friendly lighting solutions that will reduce their lighting costs while helping to save the planet. CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs are the most widely used and environmentally friendly light sources in use. CFL bulbs are available in nearly every shape that halogen and incandescent bulbs are, but use about twenty percent of the wattage and produce little to no heat.

CFL light bulbs produce a diffused light that can provide any space with uniform light coverage that is ideal for general illumination. In order to aid consumers in finding the best CFL bulbs, BulbAmerica.com has expanded their catalog of CFL bulbs to include the most technologically advanced CFL bulbs in all shapes, wattage, and color temperatures from the most trusted names in lighting including Osram, Philips, GE, Platinum, Ushio, and more.

Since the beginning of their usage, consumers have been concerned that CFL light bulbs do not produce adequate color quality. In a recent interview, a BulbAmerica.com lighting expert addressed a number of consumers concerns saying,“Consumers weary of the light quality from CFL light bulbs are often reacting to their past experiences with older fluorescent bulbs. These older CFL light bulbs often released an unpleasant blue color and an unpleasant audible buzzing sound." Today’s CFL light bulbs have simply evolved and are just much better. In a recent study in New Zealand called the ‘RightLight Challenge’, researches set out to test whether people could really see the difference between CFL bulbs and incandescent bulbs. The answer was clear: Out of 8500 people, nearly 70% reported they could not tell the difference between CFL light and incandescent light when placed inside rooms with identical incandescent (standard) light and CFL fixtures.

For the soon approaching spring and summer months, CFL light bulbs are a very smart investment for home and business owners. Unlike halogen and incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs produce almost zero heat, keeping your space cool. Consumers should remember that incandescent light sources spend more energy producing heat than light and are therefore much less efficient than CFL bulbs. The added efficiency from CFL bulbs will allow consumers to save on air conditioning costs. In addition, consumers will also save on bulb replacements as the new CFL bulbs have a much longer lifespan.

BulbAmerica's website is designed to provide consumers with the product information consumers need to make an informed decision on which CFL bulb is right for them. BulbAmerica.com has a team of lighting experts to answer any lighting questions and specific technical concerns.

With over 150,000 customers, BulbAmerica.com has become one of the largest online providers of quality lighting fixtures and name brand light bulbs. Since the launch of BulbAmerica.com in 2003, our goal has been to earn the trust of our customers. We offer high quality products that are sourced directly from the brand manufacturers. Our partnerships with these manufacturers allow us to offer the most competitive pricing in the industry. BulbAmerica has a team of experienced lighting specialists that are regularly available via phone and email to help answer any lighting questions.

Finally, BulbAmerica has recently created a funny video demonstrating how "Fluorescent Lasts Longer." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWUOT2Ucyxc

Source: PR Web

New Light-Bulb Battle a Breeze Compared With Edison's: Echoes

2012-01-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

Environmentalists are increasingly pressuring us to give up incandescent lighting in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diodes. The public is resisting, talk-radio hosts have rebelled, and Congressmen have claimed that the government has no right to tell people how to light their homes and offices.
This will probably be a long battle. But the transition away from incandescence will surely be quicker and easier than what occurred when the incandescent bulb first became available.
For many reasons -- health and aesthetics were just two -- people resisted light bulbs for decades.
By 1910, more than 30 years after Thomas Edison invented the incandescent bulb in 1879, only about 10 percent of American homes had been wired. Even in the glittering Roaring Twenties, only about 20 percent of homes had electricity -- not because of a lack of electrical contractors, but because of a lack of consumer enthusiasm.
Advertisers proclaimed that homes with electricity would be brighter, cozier and happier, but the public wasn't buying.
Homeowners without wiring could buy battery-powered lamps, but these were expensive and unreliable: 16-candle bulbs cost about $1.50 each, and they burned out quickly. A lamp stand with shade cost $5, and a socket added an additional $0.25. For most people, the cost of the battery was prohibitive: $12 for one that would last about an hour and a half. Only the very rich could afford such a luxury.
Besides the cost, consumers just weren't convinced that this new technology was safe. Light bulbs seemed so glaringly bright compared with the soft glow of gaslight. Rumor had it that you could go blind reading by incandescent light. In fact, doctors identified a new disease (later debunked): photo-electric ophthalmia, which caused pain and excessive tearing.
Women preferred the way their skin looked in gaslight, and some were convinced that electric light caused freckles. The greatest fear was of electricity itself, emitted by batteries, bulbs and wires: Surely all that artificially produced electricity couldn't be good for the human body.
One of the problems in marketing incandescent bulbs was the then-common association of electricity with animal "life force." In the late 18th century, the Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, a professor of anatomy and obstetrics, conducted experiments on frogs to investigate muscle contraction. Galvani concluded that animal electricity, stored in the muscles, caused movement. More startling, he maintained that artificial electricity, stimulating the muscles, caused the same movement.
Simply put, Galvani’s claims led many to believe that electricity coursing through the body was no different from electricity created to power a machine or light a lamp. If all electricity was essentially the same vital force, then batteries and lamps might upset the balance of energy in the natural world. Tampering with nature seemed foolhardy; it’s no wonder that Edison was often depicted in cartoons as a wizard with almost god-like powers.
Galvani's vitalism gave rise to the idea that the spirit, or soul, was electrical, too, and such phenomena as mental telepathy, hypnotism and even ghosts could be explained by the out-of-body presence of electricity.
Vitalism also made its way into medicine. In the late 19th century, at the same time the incandescent bulb was being touted, physicians offered mild forms of electrotherapy as cures for a variety of ailments: insomnia, anxiety, depression, fatigue. A popular diagnosis of the time, neurasthenia, or nerve weakness, was often treated by low doses of electricity in the form of massages, baths in mildly electrified water or stimulation by belts that contained batteries.
If we look at current reasons for resistance to alternative forms of lighting, we find that some ideas persist. This time, the light is too dull, not too glaring; the bulbs are still too expensive; and no one knows the health impact of fluorescence or diodes.
Anyway, we’re just used to what we have. Incandescent bulbs have been with us forever.
(Linda Simon teaches at Skidmore College and is the author of "Dark Light: Electricity and Anxiety From the Telegraph to the X-Ray." The opinions expressed are her own.)

Source: Bloomberg

The difference between CFL and LED bulbs illuminated.

2012-01-27T12:59:00.002-05:00

News Channel 5 viewer Debi Charnisky wanted to know the difference between LED and CFL bulbs, so News Channel 5's Heidi Glaus set out to illuminate the differences in this week's Hey Heidi! segment.
No doubt, light bulbs aren't what they used to be, for years our biggest dilemma was about watts, but that was before LED and CFL bulbs hit the market.
So to help shine a little light on the subject, we turned to Jeff Berg at Ameren.
"So LEDs have that longer life, they also perform better in very cold temperatures and they're instant on. An energy star rated CFL can take up to one minute to come up to full brightness," Berg explains.
They should last longer than what you're used to.
"So with the CFLs you're going to get up to a 10 year life. LEDs will be much longer, 20 to 25 years," Berg goes on to say.
Both are more energy efficient, but at this point, you have a few more options with CFLs, you know, the squiggly ones.
"So you can get anything in the CFLs like a little candelabra, flood lights, spotlights, these regular lights. You're not going to see quite the variety in the LEDs yet," Berg adds.
When it comes to switching out an old CFL or LED, both should be recycled.

"Ameren Missouri does provide over 100 free recycling locations throughout our service territory so if people go to www.actonenergy.com and click on locator tool and that will show them where they can find a close recycling location," Berg explains.
"The LEDs are considered electronic waste so you recycle that the same way you would recycle a computer or a DVD player," he goes on to say.
That's because there's actually a computer chip inside LED bulbs. Of course, both of these bulbs are more expensive than those old incandescent bulbs, so here's one more bright idea from Jeff.
"If you're going to be replacing your old bulbs with the new efficient bulbs, the best way to do that is to start with the areas that use the most light. So, I would start with your reading lamp or your kitchen lights and work back from there," Berg suggests.
Eventually we will all have to make the switch, because one day incandescent bulbs will go dim.

Source:KSDK

Welcome to the year of the Light bulb!!

2012-01-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! And welcome to the year of light…bulbs. Why you ask? Well, it's not just because LEDs lit up the iconic New Year's ball drop here in New York City again. No, it's because this is the year that lighting will finally become more efficient.

The old, incandescent light bulb turns 90 percent of the electricity it uses into heat rather than light. And in 2012, it will be phased out in the U.S.—or at least radically upgraded. Light bulbs will be required to meet new energy efficiency standards. So the old 100-watt light bulb will have to produce the same light using just 72 watts.

Lighting is the original killer app of modern energy—and one that the world continues to embrace. By adopting lighting technologies that use less energy the nations of the world will cut down on the fossil fuels, often coal, burned to produce that light.

So whether it's new, long-lasting but expensive light-emitting diodes, the swirls of a compact fluorescent or just more efficient incandescent, 2012 will be the year that lighting's environmental impact gets lighter.

Source: Scientific American

Liberty for Light Bulbs -- The Next Battle In America's Fight for Freedom

2012-01-25T10:13:00.001-05:00

This year, the Tea Party hopes to turn the 2012 elections into a fight for American freedom. Their first salvo -- the electric light bulb. Last month, they threatened to shut down the government unless new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs were delayed. They succeeded and the final budget deal prohibits the Deparment of Energy from spending on the new rules.

In 2007, Congress passed The Energy Independence and Security Act that included a provision authored by Republican Congressman Fred Upton giving light bulb manufacturers until 2012 to produce light bulbs that used 25 percent less energy than old-fashioned, energy wasting incandescent bulbs.

Upton's press release stated that "Current incandescent bulbs on store shelves are obsolete and highly inefficient -- only 10 percent of the energy consumed by each bulb is for light with 90 percent wasted on unnecessary heat. Today's incandescent bulbs employ the same technology as the bulbs Thomas Edison first created over 120 years ago." The bill passed in a lopsided 319-100 vote and the support of 49 percent of the Republicans who voted.

Since lighting accounts for 30 percent of all electricity use, the new standard would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons. And we'd all breathe a little easier. Electricity generated to power our lighting threatens us all. Producing more electricity creates more pollution. More pollution creates more illness -- asthma, cancer, heart disease -- and adds greenhouse gases (many conservatives don't believe humans are responsible for global warming, but they must believe toxic chemicals cause cancer). So, almost every time each one of us turns on light in our homes, something is burning to keep it lit. More than 70 percent of the time our electricity comes from burning coal, oil or natural gas and another 20 percent comes from nuclear fission reactions.

The incandescent light bulb is partly responsible, then, for the pollution that comes from power plants. And that pollution contains mercury, fine particulate matter that causes asthma and other toxic gases such as arsenic, lead and cadmium, spewed through smokestacks. Studies show that eight percent of women of child-bearing age in this country have mercury levels in their blood that could cause lower IQ in their children. Using more efficient light bulbs is one thing we can all do to reduce energy use, and thus pollution that harms us all.

Major bulb manufacturers like General Electric, Philips and Osram Sylvania, lobbied unsuccessfully to keep the standards. Knowing that the new standards were nearing, the bulb makers created more efficient, brighter, compact fluorescent light bulbs that brighten immediately. (Older versions annoyingly brightened gradually.) The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) -- no friend of environmental regulations argued for a consistent set of rules and accused the GOP of creating more uncertainty for the industry.

The light bulb battle isn't about dollars and cents, it's the latest talking point designed to stir up the GOP right wing base about "big government" limiting Americans' freedom by allegedly limiting their consumer choices. But the GOP and Tea Party won't acknowledge that freedoms have limits -- especially when our actions harm others. Speed limits prevent reckless driving that endangers other motorists or pedestrians; smoking bans protect non-smokers (and children) from cancer-causing second-hand smoke; we aren't allowed to throw our trash on the street; businesses can't create dangerous workplaces that injure or kill workers.

Tea Party conservatives branded the light bulb rules as just another big government intrusion in our lives. It's "them" telling "us" what to do; how to live; what we can buy; what we can't buy.

Michele Bachman introduced the Light Blub Freedom of Choice Act last year to repeal the new standards. "President Bachmann will allow you to buy any light bulb you want in the United States of America," she said after announcing her presidential bid. Bachman is today's freedom fighter -- but for whom? Or what? She said in a speech in November, "I believe in liberty for light bulbs."

Newer, more efficient light bulbs will actually save consumers $12 billion per year. And the energy standards will make new energy saving technologies like the LED bulbs that lit the new Times Square Ball that dropped on New Year's Eve become cheaper as more consumers buy them.

But even if the new standards did cost more, it would be worth the price. If they require more care to dispose of used bulbs, it'd be worth the effort. We don't have the right to pollute, poison or harm others -- whether it saves money or costs. That's not freedom and certainly not democracy.

Source: Huffington Post

New Lighting Facts Label: Takes the Guess Work Out of Shopping for Light Bulbs

2012-01-25T10:02:00.002-05:00

If you're like me, it sometimes feels overwhelming standing at the store and staring at a big wall of light bulbs, trying to understand all the lighting choices. With new lighting standards taking effect this year, now's a great time switch to energy-saving incandescent, CFL, and LED light bulbs, which are available in most hardware and home improvement retailers. They all are more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, and upgrading 15 of the inefficient incandescent light bulbs in your home could save you about $50 per year.

I've learned that when I'm shopping for light bulbs, it's most important to compare lumens to be sure I'm getting the amount of light, or level of brightness, I want. More lumens means it's a brighter light; fewer lumens means it's a dimmer light.

The brightness, or lumen levels, of the lights in your home may vary widely, so here's a rule of thumb:

To replace a 100-watt (W) incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens. If you want something dimmer, go for less lumens; if you prefer brighter light, look for more lumens.
Replace a 75 W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 1100 lumens.
Replace a 60 W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 800 lumens.
Replace a 40 W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 450 lumens.

To help people like you and me better understand the switch from watts to lumens, the Federal Trade Commission will require a new product label for light bulbs in the coming months. It will help people buy the light bulbs that are right for them.

The Lighting Facts label will help consumers understand what they are really purchasing. The label clearly provides the lumens—or brightness—of the bulb, the estimated operating cost for the year, and the color of the light (from warm/yellowish, to white to cool/blue).

Source: ECN

How will light bulbs change? Here are some answers

2012-01-24T12:59:00.004-05:00

The nation's new light bulb rules start taking effect Sunday. What exactly do they require, and what's their likely impact, since Congress barred funds to enforce the efficiency standards? Here are some answers:

Q: What's included in the new standards?

A: The standards require light bulbs be at least 25% more efficient and carry labels on the front and back of packages to explain their brightness, annual operating costs and expected life span.

The labels apply to all light bulbs made or imported after Jan. 1, but the efficiency standards apply only to traditional 100-watt incandescents on that day. The efficiency rules will begin applying to the old-fashioned 75-watt bulb in January 2013 and 40- and 60-watt bulbs in January 2014. Retailers can sell leftover bulbs as long as they weren't made or imported after their deadline.

Q: Do the standards ban all incandescents?

A: No. Edison's bulbs won't meet the rules, but the halogen incandescent will. So, too, will the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) and the LED (light-emitting diode), each of which is at least 75% more efficient than the traditional incandescent. Also, the rules don't apply to less commonly used incandescents such as appliance, three-way and colored bulbs.

Q: Do these efficient alternatives have a yellowish light?

A: Not necessarily. The back of each light bulb package will list the "light appearance," or color, of the bulb, measured on a temperature scale known as Kelvin (K). Lower Kelvin numbers mean the light is more yellow, while higher numbers mean it's whiter or bluer.

The traditional incandescent, which gives off a warm and almost yellowish light, has a temperature of 2,700 to 3,000K — similar to most halogens. Newer CFLs have a wider range, from warm (2,700K) to cold (6,500K). LED temperatures range from 3,300K to 5,000K.

Q: What's all this talk about lumens?

A: Lumens, which will be listed on the front of a light bulb's package, are a measure of a bulb's brightness. In contrast, a bulb's wattage is a measure of its energy use. The more lumens, the brighter the light. The old 100-watt incandescent yields about 1,600 lumens, while the 40-watt bulb provides about 450 lumens.

Q: Do all the new bulbs contain mercury? How dangerous is that?

A: Halogens and LEDs don't contain mercury, but CFLs have trace amounts (an average 4 milligrams per bulb; older thermometers have about 500 milligrams). No mercury is released unless the bulb breaks, but if that happens, consumers need to take special precautions in cleaning up and disposing of the bulbs. The Environmental Protection Agency offers cleanup tips: http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html#instructions.

"The concerns are overblown," says Ed Crawford, CEO of Philips Lighting North America. "There's more mercury in a plate of sushi than a CFL," he says, arguing that's why the U.S. government warns people not to eat too much tuna.

Q: Are more efficient bulbs dimmable?

A: Halogens and LEDs can be dimmed, but many cheaper CFLs cannot.

Source: US Today

Beginning of end for old-fashioned light bulbs

2012-01-19T13:09:00.001-05:00

In the beginning, there was darkness.

Then came fire.

It wasn't until the 19th century that artificial light was first generated.

The big leap came in the 1880s, when Thomas Edison lit homes across America with the incandescent bulb.

For the next 130 years, incandescents ruled the nights, the roads, and especially the Christmas tree.

Let there be LEDs

But today, the last glowing filaments of that living room powerhouse are burning out.

Beginning with the new year, federal law will require all light bulbs to be 25 percent more efficient, leaving Edison's beacon of late night fun out in the dark and flipping the switch to its more frugal counterparts, such as the long-lasting compact fluorescent.

"You might install a light bulb in your foyer, when you're kids are born and that light bulb will still be working, no problem, when the kids go off to college," says Ed Crawford of the Phillips, North American Lighting Division.

But not everybody is thrilled with the change. For one thing, the alternatives are significantly more expensive up front.

Concerns over prices even reached the campaign trail, where Republican presidential hopeful and Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann declared, "I believe in liberty for light bulbs" - meaning - continuing to give consumers a choice.

Many consumers complain the newer bulbs just don't look right.

"There's a pushback," says lighting engineer and historian Dave Dilaura, "from people who say, 'I'm sitting in my living room, I want a warm, comfortable light. And that's the word they use-- warm."

Crawford concedes that, "Some of the earlier compact fluorescent products; they were not ready for primetime. They buzzed. They had lousy color. They made everything grayish-green."

But, while compact fluorescents aren't winning any prizes, Phillips, the world's largest lighting company, recently won $10 million from the Department of Energy for work in a leading alternative - LED lighting. LEDs produce a warm glow, similar to a standard, 60 watt incandescent. They fit anywhere and are powered by a mere 9 watts.

While it will continue to burn bright in the near future, Edison's most storied invention may be headed into the night.

Says Dilaura, "It's the nature of technology. It has a lifetime, a start and an end. It's time to end."

Four-point-seven billion sockets in the U.S. alone await that future.

But, earlier this month, Republicans in Congress managed to eliminate all funding to enforce the new law - which was signed in 2007 by then-President Bush.

Still, manufacturers have already started phasing out production of the old bulbs.

Source: CBS New

Tips on Shopping for Energy-Efficient Bulbs

2012-01-18T09:34:00.002-05:00

How many types of light bulbs does it take to confuse consumers? Three, apparently.
This month, federal energy efficiency legislation, passed in 2007, went into effect. That means old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs are being phased out, in favor of energy-saving models. Beginning Jan. 1, for instance, lights as bright as older 100-watt incandescent bulbs can use no more than 72 watts of electricity, according to the Lumen Coalition, a coalition of organizations and businesses that aims to educate the public about energy-efficient lighting. Eventually, other types of bulbs must be made more efficient too.

The change has caused some confusion, and some people have even hoarded the old-fashioned bulbs. But consumer advocates say new bulbs are now available that look similar to the old ones, but use less energy. (Stores do not have to take the old ones off the shelves — they just won’t be restocking supplies.)

There are three types of energy-efficient bulbs that have emerged. They generally cost more than the older types of bulbs, but save on electricity costs over the long run, according to a new guide from the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union:

Halogen incandescent These look like old-fashioned light bulbs, but use at least 25 percent less energy and last up to three times as long. They cost about $1.50 per bulb.

Compact fluorescent These use up to 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times as long. They cost about $2 per bulb.

Light-emitting diode These can last up to 25 years and save 75 percent or more in energy costs. One big catch is that they are currently quite pricey. They cost about $25 per bulb.

To help sort out the new choices — some bulbs are better than others, depending on where and how you use them — several groups have published light bulb guides. The bulb maker Sylvania has a handy chart that shows what bulbs can replace the old ones around your house.
Another helpful guide is available from the Natural Resources Defense Council. And there are some smartphone apps that can help, too.
Have you tried to buy light bulbs lately? What was your experience?

Source: The New York Times

What you need to know about the new lightbulb law

2012-01-18T09:32:00.002-05:00

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Beginning this year, the government flipped the switch with new standards, leaving the decades-old incandescent bulbs in the dark.

One hundred-watt bulbs are being phased out first, followed by the 60 and 40.

Debbie Hernandez is with Home Depot in Glendale, and says all the new energy-efficient options have customers confused.

“Everybody's really in a fog as to what lightbulb is best for what situation,” she said.

The new law gives consumers three main choices for light bulbs.

The closest to everyday bulb that you're probably used to is a halogen incandescent. They're a little more expensive at $1 each for the basic brand.

“They do last about two-and-a-half times longer than the standard incandescent,” she explained.

Debbie says the next bulb up -- a C.F.L. -- is your best value. At around a $1.50 each, they last 10 times longer and can save you $50 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

But, here's an idea? Never change a lightbulb again.

Well, at least for the next 25 years by upgrading to light-emitting diode -- or L.E.D. -- bulbs. They can save you up to $150 in energy costs over their lifetime. But be warned, it might burn a hole in your wallet at a cost upwards of $25 a bulb.

The new law isn't bringing changes to just bulbs, there's new lingo to learn too.

Forget watts, lumens are what to look for now.

“The wattage measures the heat that is emitted from the light bulb where lumens measures brightness,” Hernandez said.

1,600 lumens equal 100 watts, plus they don't burn as hot as the old bulbs.

Conversion charts -- and everything else you need to know -- will be listed on new lighting labels, which resemble nutrition facts on food.

It’s a step forward for the energy-conscious, with a bright idea that'll hopefully help save you money in the long run.

Source: AZ Family

Are LED Lightbulbs Worth The High Cost?

2012-01-17T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Republicans caved. In order to get the government spending bill passed, on Dec. 16, Republicans agreed to put on hold the implementation of a bill that would require more efficient light bulbs which, in the minds of many, meant the end of the much loved (and cheap) incandescent bulb. Proponents of the bill were quick to say that the incandescent bulb would still be available but in a more efficient form, and opponents argued that consumers should decide what kind of bulbs they buy instead of Congress.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, consumers did decide. Energy and Commerce Secretary Fred Upton said, "We heard the message loud and clear from Americans who don't want government standards determining how they light their homes."
Americans are clearly opposed to the bill, but is it time we unshackle ourselves from the old incandescent bulbs and embrace new technology, and will our wallets thank us?

Is the Light Still Weird?If you remember when compact florescent light bulbs first hit the market, the light they emitted was, for a lack of a more elegant term, weird. It was kind of green but also kind of white. It wasn't pleasing to the eye and as it warmed up, the light changed. This caused many to abandon the technology and go back to the incandescent bulb.
The new compact fluorescent bulbs are nearly indistinguishable from the old incandescent bulbs but once again, they're being abandoned for the new LED light bulb. LEDs power the new traffic lights, flashlights and TVs but now they can power your home and the light is described as a soft white light similar to incandescent bulbs.

The CalculationsUnless there's a good reason to purchase these bulbs, why pay the extra money? LED light bulbs are expensive. Prices start at $10 for a standard bulb and floodlights can cost as much as $100, but the cost of a bulb isn't as important as the money you pay to operate it.
First, let's assume that we're looking for the best way to produce 50,000 hours of light equal to an incandescent 100 watt light bulb. One, 100 watt incandescent bulb costs about 40 cents and to produce 50,000 hours of light, you'll need approximately 50 bulbs based on a life of 1,000 hours. That makes the cost of the bulbs about $20. Since an incandescent bulb requires 100 watts equal to 5,000 kilowatt hours of energy, that will cost more than $500 making the total approximate cost of our 50,000 hours of energy, $520.
Instead of 40 cents for the incandescent bulb, we had to pay $40 for the LED equivalent which, admittedly, is quite a case of sticker shock but to get 50,000 hours of light, we're only going to need two bulbs that use no more than 11 watts of energy equaling 540 kilowatt hours. The cost to power those bulbs is only about $58. Although we paid $80 up front, we had a total cost of only $138 or a 73% savings over the incandescent equivalent.

The Bottom LineThe above calculations will vary largely depending on the cost of the electricity as well as the current prices of light bulbs, but the cost savings of LED bulbs is clear. There's no doubt that the upfront cost of the more efficient bulbs is a stumbling block for some, if you can afford it, but the new LED bulbs offer a dramatic cost savings over the life of the bulb. How many light bulbs do you have in your home that could be replaced by LEDs?

Source: San Francisco Chronicle