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Low Energy Light Bulbs – Forecast Of CFLs And LEDs Light Bulbs (tallahassee roofing contractors)

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By Margery Wyers

  There are benefits as well as drawbacks to using less energy light bulbs like CFL and LED bulbs.

President Barack Obama has released plans to dismiss traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2014. The government favors low energy light bulbs, such as lightweight fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Both are used in homes across the United States, but the CFLs had been around the longest. There are several positives and negatives to using these technologies. Let’s examine them here:

Pros and Cons of CFLs

When compared to incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs burn 10 times more time on average. CFLs with an Energy Star ranking use less energy, about 75%, contributing to savings of $30 over the life of one particular bulb. However, CFLs take a longer time to get warm and result in a colder light than incandescent bulbs. Companies responded to customers who complained about the low quality of lighting produced by CFLs, by producing a new generation of lights that appear like incandescent light bulbs.

CFLs that are closest to incandescent bulbs with regards to illumination fall anywhere from 2700 and 3000 on the Kelvin scale. CFL bulbs that produce a natural daytime tone, contrary to the yellow tones of the incandescent bulbs, fall in the variety of 5000-6500 on the Kelvin scale, and those somewhere between 3500-4100 produce a much cooler, whiter light. (The figures for the Kelvin scale are found right on the packaging.) A major disadvantage to using CFLs is the mercury found in every bulb. If the bulb breaks, it can be hazardous to everyone in your house if you don’t get rid of it securely. Cleaning up a single broken bulb sometimes needs contracting a hazardous materials practitioner, and may cost thousands of dollars.

The cost of 6 General Electric 26-watt CFLs is $16, which works out to $2.67 per bulb. This is the equivalent of a 100-watt incandescent bulb. A General Electric 100-watt Reveal bulb (4-pack) will cost $6.08, which works out to $1.52 per bulb. CFLs can be more expensive but offer energy savings. However, CFL users are looking forward to less costly products.

Pros and Cons of LEDs

LEDs employ less wattage (2-10 watts) than CFLs and don’t generate much heat. You can use them for 4.5 years continuously before “dying,” the equivalent of 40,000 hours. Unlike CFLS, LEDs don’t contain mercury, which is an enormous advantage. They don’t have whatever filaments, and so there’s no chemical danger if they break.

There are drawbacks to LEDs. One being, they’re simply useful for lighting downward or for task lighting. They don’t cast light toward the base of the bulb, and the strongest ones available are only equal to a 60-watt incandescent bulb. LED light bulbs look dimmer due to the fact the temperature of the light is cooler as compared to incandescent bulbs and CFLs. However, they can be more useful as night lights because they give off a bluish hue. You can even use them for accentuate lighting.

New technology are being developed to solve the disadvantages of using LEDs. For instance, the LED light bulbs series by Sharp (a nine-bulb LED) can be purchased in Japan. It consists of a remote control which allows users to change the light’s color tone. LEDs are still very expensive though, running $82 for the Sharp unit, and around $35 for standard LEDs. When the price of these bulbs does fall, it may end up being more cost effective than both CFLs and incandescent bulbs. LEDs consume $50 worth of electricity less over 4 to 5 years, and can end up surpassing them both.

Low Energy Light Bulbs

There are some things you should know before choosing low energy light bulbs.

 

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