How to choose the best bulbs to replace incandescent
BY STACY CHANDLER / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Buying a light bulb used to be easy. And it used to be
something you did several times a year.
But now, “a lot of people are starting to look at light
bulbs as an investment,” says Jaclyn Pardini, a spokeswoman for Lowe’s Home
Improvement stores.
The incandescent bulbs in wide use ever since Thomas Edison
received a patent for his version in 1880 are being phased out. A federal law
passed in 2007 ends incandescent manufacturing and importing in the U.S. by the
end of 2014, though stores will be allowed to keep them on shelves until they’re
sold out.
In their place are more energy-efficient replacements that
come in a dizzying array of hues and shapes.
But you’ll want to choose carefully. Those CFLs might be
with you for the next nine years or so. And if you spring for an LED bulb,
you’re really in it for the long haul.
“From the time a child enters kindergarten to the time they
graduate from college, that bulb will still work,” said Pardini of LEDs.
So as those last incandescents flicker out in your lamps and
light fixtures, how do you decide what will replace them? Read on:
INCANDESCENT
Cost: (one bulb): Less than $1; (to run a year): $7.32
Life: 1,000 hours
Pros: It’s the warm, soft light you grew up with.
Cons: A hot-blooded energy hog. Federal law is phasing them
out after 2014.
HALOGEN
Cost (one bulb): $2–$3; (to run a year): $5.18
Life: 1,000–3,000 hours
Pros: The closest still-legal thing to the soft glow of an
incandescent light. They’re now “the designer’s choice in bulbs,” said Pardini.
Cons: You’re not gaining much in life span or efficiency
over incandescents.
CFL (Compact
fluorescent lamp)
Cost (one bulb): $1–$2.50; (to run a year): $1.57
Life: 10,000 hours
Pros: Here’s where energy efficiency really steps up. CFLs
use two-thirds less energy than incandescents.
Cons: Early CFLs got a bad rap for being slow to warm up and
casting harsh light. But they’ve improved a lot. Still, you reduce the life
span a bit if you turn the light on and off a lot (less than 15 minutes of on
time). Using CFLs in an enclosed fixture can also reduce their life span, but
some newer models have overcome this.
Check the packaging for the bulb you’re considering.
Disposal can be a hassle. Each CFL contains a small amount
of mercury, so you need to recycle old bulbs. Several retailers offer this
service, and many municipalities allow drop-off at their household hazardous
waste facilities. (Check search.earth911.com for listings.)
LED (Light-emitting
diode)
Cost (see note) (one bulb): $10–$30; (to run a year): $1.50
Life: 20,000–50,000 hours
Pros: Extremely long life. Cutting-edge technology.
Cons: Much higher upfront cost than other bulb types. But,
Pardini added, “the potential return in energy savings and your time in
changing out light bulbs is far greater over time. So it’s more of a
longer-term investment.” Like CFLs, some LED bulbs can deteriorate in the heat
of an enclosed fixture, so consult the packaging.
(Cost figures are averages and based on 60W-equivalent
single bulbs. Annual cost and life span based on three hours of use daily.)
THE RIGHT HUE
CFL and LED bulbs come in a variety of colors (“color
temperature” is the correct term) that will really affect the look of the room
you’re illuminating.
Here are your options, with tips on what will put each room
of your home in the very best light.
SOFT WHITE/WARM
WHITE
Where to use: Living areas, bedrooms, dining spaces. This is
the most common color temperature, and closest in color to the traditional
incandescent bulb. Works well with earth tones like brown and tan.
COOL
WHITE/NEUTRAL/BRIGHT WHITE
Where to use: Office and work areas. Fine for general
lighting. Works well with neutral tones like gray and beige.
COST SAVINGS
Here are some stats from the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Energy Star program, which adds its stamp to light fixtures and bulbs
that are at least 75 percent more efficient than traditional lighting.
By replacing your home’s five most frequently used bulbs,
you can save $70 each year.
The average U.S. home has about 30 light fixtures; a switch
to Energy Star lighting can save more than $400 a year on your electric bill.
If every American household replaced its five most
frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them, the national savings would
be $8 billion each year in energy costs, and that action would prevent
greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 10 million cars.
You can save energy in 3-way and dimmable fixtures, too.
Look for CFL and LED bulbs in packages marked “dimmable” or “3-way” to make
sure you’re getting a bulb that will work.
—Lowe’s Home Improvement, Home Depot, energystar.gov,
eartheasy.com, Consumer Reports
CONVERSION CHART
With the phaseout of incandescent bulbs, the term “watts” is
fading from importance. Now the word to know is “lumens”—a unit of measure for
the brightness of light that a bulb produces. This watt-conversion chart will
make shopping easier. The wattage equivalent is still listed on the packaging
of newfangled bulbs, but can be hard to find sometimes.
150 watts—2,600 lumens
100 watts—1,600 lumens
75 watts—1,100 lumens
60 watts—800 lumens
40 watts—450 lumens
—Federal Trade Commission
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