Answering Your Questions
Al Siefert Electric
5691 N.E. 14 Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale Fl 33334
(954) 493-9411
Lighthouse Point Magazine
August 2008
New technology offers energy savings and a reduction of heat. The incandescent
light bulb operates by heating a tungsten filament or wire until it glows and
produces light. The light you see wastes about 90% of the energy used to create
it.
Australia has banned incandescent lights beginning in 2010. The United States
will begin phasing out the incandescent bulb beginning in 2012 with the 100 watt
bulb and complete the process by 2014. Light bulbs must use 25 to 30 percent
less wattage by 2014 and by 2020 bulbs must be 70% more efficient than they are
today.
The replacement bulbs will be energy efficient fluorescent tubes, CFL or LED
bulbs.
The fluorescent tubes have been around for many years and are more energy
efficient than the incandescent bulbs. These lights are the type seen as ceiling
fixtures. The new electronic T-8 bulb is replacing the older T-12 bulb. It is
brighter and more efficient than the older T-12 bulb. The T-12 bulb is not
scheduled to go out of production; however the magnetic ballast that powers them
will go out of production in June of 2010. The replacement ballast is the
electronic ballast, which is sold with all new T-8 fixtures today.
The new T-8 bulbs are being developed with low mercury and should be safer for
the environment. They offer more color choices and are brighter than their
predecessors.
The CFL fluorescent bulb will replace the screw base incandescent bulb. They are
being developed to have dimming capabilities and a longer life than the
incandescent bulb.
The LED bulbs are the way of the future. They are being made to be direct
replacements for most existing incandescent bulbs and CFL fluorescent bulbs. The
LED’s are very bright, dimmable, last up to ten years and are also energy
efficient.
The main difference in these bulbs is the price. For example, a fluorescent
flood bulb that is equal in lumens to a LED bulb will cost around $5.00. The
equivalent LED bulb will cost around $85.00. This price difference should
decrease as LED technology advances.
With incandescent lights we used watts as a measure for brightness. The new
technology uses lumens as a comparison for brightness. An example of this is a
90 watt incandescent light produces 1310 limens. A 23 watt fluorescent CFL bulb
is equivalent to a 100 watt light that produces 1600 lumens.
“Kelvin temperatures” are a measurement of color. A 2700 to 3000 Kelvin rating
will resemble the color of an incandescent bulb. The higher temperatures of 5000
to 6500 will provide a more intense blue color.
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