Light bulbs—too many choices?
How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Silly question! The real question is "what type of bulb do you need?"
Long gone are the days when bulbs were either incandescent or fluorescent. Today, you can also choose from halogen, compact fluorescent, and LED—and from bulbs that are "warm white," "cool white," "full spectrum," of "daylight." But you will soon need to wean yourself from incandescent bulbs. The Federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandates that all bulbs use 30 percent less energy than existing bulbs. Beginning January 1, 2012, the 100-watt bulb must provide this greater efficiency, and by 2014 the 40-watt bulb must comply with the new standard. In California, these deadlines arrive a year earlier.
Light produced by bulbs is measured in lumens; the electrical energy needed to produce it in watts. In the future, general-purpose incandescent light bulbs will be required to produce a minimum 45 lumens per watt, which may well mean the end to lovely but energy-squandering incandescent lighting. Fortunately, many attractive alternatives already exist, and more are on the way.
But while light bulbs are relatively inexpensive, they are anything but insignificant. The right bulb can make a big difference in brightness, quality of light, and energy costs!
To learn more about light bulbs, you can visit
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/lighting/bulbs.html
For expert guidance on the bulbs that best meet your residential or commercial needs, give us a call or stop by our showroom, where we can show you the differing types of light produced by different types of bulbs and help you select the right one.
