Saturday, March 15, 2008

Lighting - what's the real deal with CFL vs Incandescent?

There's so much confusion out there - are CFL's really the answer? What about the mercury in them? What about the quality of the light - I don't like fluorescent light? and on and on...
Well, the incandescent light bulb may not really be going away at all, and the newer CFL's are much, much better.
Check out this article for more - Lighting: The Need to Be Green
A new federal law is forcing the 50-cent light bulb into an uneasy retirement.
Penny Bonda
Interior Design · February 20, 2008



"Yes, it's true what you've heard. The law starts phasing out "general service lamps" in 2012 but only the inefficient ones—our beloved "A" lamps, sold in 4-packs for $2.69 that provide the just the right brightness, color temperature and dimmability. "R" lamps, also gone—as are most halogens as we know them. By 2014, all lamps must be 30% more efficient than today's products. Since a huge percentage of all lamps currently sold are on the banned list, the lighting industry and its customers, including designers and all consumers, will have to make changes. The residential sector will take a bigger hit than commercial, which has always been more likely to depend on fluorescent lamps."

More...

1 comment:

littlebear said...

First, most calculations compare one bulb. Hour for hour, incandescents still are cheaper. The only savings is about $7 per year in electricity, to the sacrifice of poor quality, highly irritating lighting and additional cost (if anyone will bother) of hazardous disposal b/c of the mercury. Did US Congressn even consider any of this in its haste passage of such a bill to outlaw incandescent lights?