Choosing Light Bulbs
By Owen Whetzel
In 1879 Thomas Edison made a significant discovery with what we now think of as a common household item -- the light bulb -- when he electrified and illuminated a glass bulb, with a filament wire made from burned cotton sewing thread. Although a light bulb is technically known as a lamp (the bulb or tube and the parts inside), the term "light bulb" has become generic in describing a wide variety of lighting products, including standard or regular (A-Line) incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's), bulbs, that produce heat, keep bugs away and ones that illuminate the inside of our refrigerator or oven. Lighting can be bright or dim, set the mood for a room or outdoors, focus for reading or hobbies, and improve safety and security.
REMEMBER THESE THREE TIPS, WHEN CHOOSING LIGHT BULBS
1. Never exceed the wattage specified for a light fixture, appliance, etc. For example, placing a 100-watt incandescent bulb in a light fixture designed for a 60-watt bulb is a fire hazard. However, placing a 40-watt bulb in a fixture that will accept up to 60 or 75 watts is OK.
2. The wattage of a particular bulb is the electrical power required to make the bulb operate; it is not the brightness. How bright a bulb is, is measured in lumens. Lumen is the measurement of the quantity of light. For example, a 60-watt GE Soft White incandescent bulb provides about 640 lumens (a single candle produces about 12 lumens). With a CFL you can get greater lumens while using less watts.
3. Generally, with the exception of replacing a regular or standard bulb with a CFL, replace a bulb with like size and type. For example, don't substitute a standard light bulb for an appliance bulb in your refrigerator or oven.
THE BASICS OF WHAT TO USE WHERE
When nighttime falls, do you illuminate your house like an airstrip? Turn on only the lights you need; that goes for fluorescent fixtures, as well. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. You'll spend more initially, but save money in the long run, because in relation to illumination (lumens), fluorescent lamps consume less energy than incandescent bulbs. They also last considerably longer. If you still have incandescent bulbs, dust them regularly. People have been known to replace light bulbs with a higher wattage, simply because the bulb was coated with dust.
A CFL uses about one-quarter less energy than a standard or regular bulb and can often be used to replace incandescent bulbs with medium or candelabra bases. They are particularly useful in locations, where it is difficult to change a bulb (for example, a light fixture over 9 or 10 feet above the floor), because some will last up to 10,000 hours.
According to the Web site of the California Energy Commission (CEC), "One easy way to reduce your electric bill without sacrificing the quality of your home lighting is to replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. Compact fluorescents come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wattages to fit most lamps and light fixtures. The light they provide is a soft, warm color, similar to incandescents, but they use up to 75% less energy, and should last approximately 10,000 hours. That is about ten times longer than a regular incandescent light bulb. The original compact fluorescents, introduced quite some time ago, had some drawbacks. But those shortcomings have largely disappeared, and newer compact fluorescents are very easy to live with."
Here's an approximate comparison between the wattage of standard bulbs and CFLs:
25 watt standard bulb = 4 watt CFL
40 watt standard bulb = 9 watt CFL
60 watt standard bulb = 15 watt CFL
75 watt standard bulb = 20 watt CFL
100 watt standard bulb = 25 watt CFL
150 watt standard bulb = 42 watt CFL
- Fluorescent tubes are also economical and long lasting. They are used in home task and general lighting, such as in a kitchen, basement, workshop, laundry, or similar areas.
One important thing to remember: Fluorescent lamps must be properly recycled. You can take them to any OSH store for recycling or to a local recycling center, that accepts fluorescent lamps.
- If you have outdoor lighting that isn't solar, even if it's low-voltage and not necessary for safety, consider turning it off. When guests are coming and you want the landscaping to give your home that estate look, turn the lights on for the evening or install sensors to automatically turn the lights on, when someone approaches.
- Many optometrists recommend that for reading, as a task or work light on a desk or below kitchen cabinets, or for doing stitchery, needlepoint or sewing, you should choose an incandescent or halogen bulb.
SOME OF THE MOST USED BULBS OTHER THAN FLUORESCENT
- Standard or regular incandescent bulbs are for general-purpose lighting. They are available in a variety of different wattages in clear, frosted and colors.
- Bug light bulbs are used in outdoor fixtures to keep most flying insects away from the fixture. A bit of trivia: It's the coating on the bulb, that makes the light nearly invisible to bugs.
- Globe bulbs are popular for lighting in a bathroom or where a fixture doesn't have a lampshade. These are available in CFL's and in a color range, that will not distort makeup.
- Candle, flicker, flame-shaped, and torpedo bulbs are decorative and usually used in light fixtures.
- Reflector bulbs are often used as spotlights and in recessed ceiling fixtures.
- Halogen bulbs provide bright light, but are only used in fixtures, that are made for a halogen bulb. However, they create enough heat to ignite materials, such as paper or fabrics, so care must be taken to avoid the hot bulb coming into contact with a flammable material. It is important to note, that they are less energy efficient than standard or regular incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lamps, because they convert more energy into heat. Halogen bulbs should last from 2,000 to 4,000 hours. Avoid handling the glass part of the bulb with your hands. Oils from skin will shorten the life of the bulb.
- LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are energy efficient (they use about one-tenth the energy of an incandescent bulb) and are long lasting. Commonly available in holiday decorations, vehicle lamps and nightlights, these may be the future of general lighting at a low operating cost.
- Specialty bulbs are made for a specific purpose, such as an oven, clothes dryer, refrigerator, etc. Do not substitute other types of bulbs in appliances.
When shopping for light bulbs, take the bulb you are replacing with you, so that you can match base size. Know the maximum wattage for a particular fixture and ask for sales assistance, if you need it. Store personnel aren't lighting consultants, but they usually have a bright idea.
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Technical questions about specific light bulbs? Contact the manufacturer:
GE Lighting, (800) 626-2000, www.gelighting.com
Lights of America, Inc., (800) 321-8100, www.lightsofamerica.com
OSRAM Sylvania, (800) 544-4828, www.sylvania.com
Panasonic Lighting, (201) 348-5381, www.panasonic.com/lighting
Philips Lighting, (800) 555-0050, www.lighting.philips.com
Interesting reading: Lighting Efficiency Information on the Web site of the California Energy Commission.
Questions about lighting terms? Check out the Lighting Glossary on the GE Lighting Web site.
TIP:
Have an incandescent light bulb, that is broken in the socket? Here's how to remove it.
Be certain a table or floor lamp is unplugged or the power to a light fixture is turned OFF! Wear heavy gloves and safety eye goggles. Do not position yourself directly beneath an overhead fixture, but off to one side, as some glass fragments could fall. If the element is still connected to the bulb base (the base of the light bulb, which is stuck in the socket), grasp the element with a heavily gloved hand and carefully break it away from the bulb base.
Insert a non-electrical-conducting material into the bulb's base. Use a cut and trimmed carrot, natural or rubber cork, or a piece of durable solid-foam insulation. (A "bad tip," which someone may mention to you, is to use a raw potato, that is cut to fit the bulb base. It's a bad idea, because the juice from the potato can corrode and damage the fixture socket and wiring.) Carefully push and thread the non-conducting material into the bulb base counter-clockwise (threading clockwise could further tighten the base into the socket), then unscrew counter-clockwise.
Before screwing in a new bulb and turning the power back on, carefully brush the socket clean and dispose of the broken glass, as tiny glass fragments could be left in the socket.