How To Shop For Light Bulbs, Part 2

 Lighting Tips  2 Responses »
May 102012
 
PinExt How To Shop For Light Bulbs, Part 2

It’s hard to mentally make the switch from watts to lumens when you’re thinking about light output. It’s just too easy to think, “I know exactly how much light my old 60-watt incandescent light bulb gives off, and I want something that’s equivalent to that!” Thankfully, modern light bulb packaging often notes which incandescent light bulb you can compare the light output to. (We do this on our light bulb product pages as well).

It’s very handy to have a chart that lays out the conversion for you! We shared one by the Federal Trade Commission last June, but it didn’t include examples of efficient light bulbs to replace the incandescent ones. This one, by Lighting Facts, is straightforward and very informative. Enjoy!

lumens to watts chart How To Shop For Light Bulbs, Part 2

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Protesters of the Incandescent Light Bulb

 Thoughts on Light  1 Response »
Feb 102012
 
PinExt Protesters of the Incandescent Light Bulb

shattered misconceptions Protesters of the Incandescent Light Bulb

There has been some public resistance to EISA 2007 (also known as the “incandescent phase out”) and what it means for light bulbs.

This is arguably the first monumental shift in the way people will light their homes since the early 1900’s, when Edison’s invention replaced gas lamps. It got me to thinking – what was it like when Edison’s incandescent light bulb first hit the market?

I came across an interesting article in Bloomberg and found out that 100 years ago the general public was very reluctant to start using those new fangled incandescent light bulbs in their homes.

In 1910, thirty years after the incandescent light bulb became available, 90 percent of American households were still using gas lamps - and it wasn’t because electrical contractors weren’t available.

The main protests from consumers in the early 20th century were safety, aesthetics, and cost.

The safety concerns in Edison’s time revolved around electricity. An Italian scientist named Luigi Galvani studying muscle contraction in the late 18th century had concluded that “animal electricity” stored in the muscles was the same as the electricity used to power a lamp. Therefore, he claimed adding artificial electricity to your home would have detrimental physical effects. Women wondered if the lights would bring on freckles. There was an idea that the spirit had electrical properties, so people thought that ghosts, hypnotism, and telepathy were all the result of electricity outside of the body. Continue reading »

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Update on the Rare Earth Element Situation

 Lighting News  No Responses »
Dec 022011
 
PinExt Update on the Rare Earth Element Situation

embrace lumens Update on the Rare Earth Element SituationAccording to The New York Times, supply is finally beginning to catch up with demand in the rare earth element market.

A few months ago, I posted about the Chinese government’s export restrictions on rare earth elements. The bad news for the lighting industry was that China’s nationwide production cap was causing the price of fluorescent light bulbs to rapidly increase. (Rare earth elements are a crucial component to the process of creating a fluorescent light bulb).

However, it seems that international prices for rare earth elements have fallen since August and are continuing to decline! The timeline for the impact on the lighting industry is unclear at this point. For more information, read this article.

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The Truth About CFLs and Mercury

 Lighting Tips  2 Responses »
Oct 272011
 
PinExt The Truth About CFLs and Mercury
seared albacore tuna The Truth About CFLs and Mercury

There is more mercury in one bite of albacore tuna than there is in one CFL.

Yes, CFLs contain mercury. So do laptop computers, TVs, telephones, and tuna fish sandwiches.

On average, CFLs contain 4 milligrams of mercury each (that amount would almost cover the tip of a ballpoint pen). LCD projector TVs, by comparison, contain 500-100 milligrams of mercury. One bite of albacore tuna contains more mercury than a CFL.

Many people think about mercury emissions in a very simplistic manner. (Sure, the mercury in a CFL may be a trace amount, but incandescent light bulbs don’t contain any – which makes incandescent light bulbs better for the environment, right?) Continue reading »

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My Search for a New Light Bulb

 Light Bulbs  13 Responses »
Sep 192011
 
PinExt My Search for a New Light Bulb

light bulb My Search for a New Light BulbAs most of us now know, the traditional incandescent light bulb invented over 100 years ago is being phased out over the next couple of years. To learn more about the incandescent phase out, or if you are like “What?!”, make sure to check out our coverage on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) – aka “the incandescent phase out”.

Whether or not you agree with the law, and there are plenty of opinions both for and against, it is coming. In fact, the first phase starts this January 2012 when the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be able to be manufactured or imported. In January 2013 it will be the 75-watt light bulb and in January 2014, the 60-watt and 40-watt light bulbs.

So, knowing this is coming, and knowing that I have a lot of light bulbs in my house that will need to be replaced, including 100-watt ones, I decided to start exploring my options and figured I would share them with you.

What did I learn?

  1. There are options available now.
  2. There is no one option for me. I will be using different technologies based upon my needs and wants.
  3. GE makes a very cool hybrid light bulb which is part halogen and compact fluorescent that I am now using.
  4. There are halogen replacements for incandescent light bulbs…did not know this.
  5. Philips has a very cool, very awesome, somewhat expensive, LED light bulb called AmbientLED. I wish I could afford many of these because they work very, very well.

Now on to the story…

Continue reading »

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A “Regular Person Review” of an LED

 Thoughts on Light  1 Response »
Aug 162011
 
PinExt A Regular Person Review of an LED
CFL vs. LED vs. Incandescent A Regular Person Review of an LED
From left to right: A CFL, an LED, & an Incandescent Light Bulb. Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET

Journalist Candace Lombardi recently compared three Philips-brand light bulbs side by side. She said she’s often asked for a “regular person review” of LEDs versus CFLs versus incandescents without the jargon of lumens, kelvins, wattage, etc.

It’s a great article – Lombardi goes so far as to try smashing the Philips LED to the ground. When the LED survives with no damage, she concludes that Philips wasn’t kidding around about their 22.8 year life estimate for the product.

The Philips AmbientLED is the equivalent of a 75-watt incandescent and gives off a warm light (in a 2700K color temperature, for all the lighting professionals out there). See Lombardi’s photo to the right, and check out the article on CNET!

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Will the Future of Fluorescent Lighting Be Shaky?

 Lighting News  3 Responses »
Aug 112011
 
PinExt Will the Future of Fluorescent Lighting Be Shaky?
Baiyun Obo Mine Will the Future of Fluorescent Lighting Be Shaky?

A mine in Baiyun Obo, which produces half the world's rare earth elements. Photo courtesy of Treehugger.

Remember our post on why fluorescent light bulbs are becoming more expensive?

Well, the Chinese government is beginning to enforce those export restrictions on rare earth elements. According to an article in Times LIVE, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will now punish rare earth producers that fail to stick to the nationwide production cap.

Enterprises exceeding quotas will have licenses cancelled, and will also face government action if they are caught buying ore from mines that violate government guidelines.

It is unclear whether the production cap for 2011 of 93,800 tonnes has already been met, but a number of plants have closed down.

What does this mean for fluorescent lighting? For a fluorescent light bulb to create light, there must be a phosphor coating inside its glass envelope. While phosphor is not a rare earth element, rare earth elements are a crucial component to the process of creating the light-producing tri-phosphors inside the lamps.

The production cap is meant to crack down on illegal production of rare earth elements. However, since China produces about 97 percent of the global supply, the policy is affecting the production of countless products in the green tech industry that count on rare earth minerals.

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Why Are CFLs Becoming More Expensive?

 Lighting News  No Responses »
Jul 262011
 
PinExt Why Are CFLs Becoming More Expensive?

CFLs Why Are CFLs Becoming More Expensive?The Chinese government has recently been restricting exports of rare earth elements, and the policy changes are affecting the global markets for everything from compact fluorescent light bulbs to iPhones.

China controls 97% of the world’s supply of rare earth metals – 17 elements that are vital to the electronics, defense, and renewable energy industries.

Due to China’s export caps, the cost to manufacture fluorescent light bulbs is skyrocketing.  (Standard compact fluorescent light bulbs require a phosphor coating inside their glass envelopes to create light, and phosphor is made from rare earth elements).

Earlier this month, China eased some of the export curbs, but the European Union and the United States were not satisfied that the change would be enough to restore stable supplies.  The higher cost of rare earth elements will affect the cost of all fluorescent light bulbs, CFLs included.

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Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for Lighting

 Lighting Tips  No Responses »
Jun 102011
 
PinExt Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for Lighting

movie theater lighting Why Movie Theaters & Restaurants Should Choose CCFLs for LightingEarlier this week, I wrote a couple of posts describing the features of cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs.  CCFLs are not new to the lighting world, but their technology has improved significantly over the past few years, and they are an excellent option for energy-efficient lighting.  We have been adding over 20 different models of CCFLs to pegasuslighting.com, so this week has been a “CCFL debut” on the blog.

To read about the basic technology that differentiates CCFLs from standard CFLs and other light bulbs, catch up with this post.

In short, CCFLs are extremely durable in design, which gives them very unique dimming capabilities.  Fluorescent lighting typically does not perform well with dimming.  However, CCFLs can be dimmed down to 5% of their light output without diminishing lifetime. Continue reading »

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CCFL vs. CFL: What’s the Difference?

 Buyer's Guides  8 Responses »
Jun 062011
 
PinExt CCFL vs. CFL: Whats the Difference?

comparing bulbs CCFL vs. CFL: Whats the Difference?“CFL” is a household name at this point.  Developed in 1985, the compact fluorescent light bulb is now a 25-year-old product present in 70 percent of homes in the United States.  Just last year, more than 273 million CFLs were sold in the U.S.

Cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs are a little less familiar, at least to the general public.  Here’s a quick overview of the core differences.

Technological Differences:

All fluorescent light bulbs have two cathodes (one at each end).  In a standard CFL, the cathodes are made of coiled tungsten filaments that are heated to approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit each time the light bulb is turned on.  That heat releases electrons.  The electrons shoot back and forth between the cathodes and react with the mercury to create ultraviolet radiation, which in turn reacts with the phosphor coating on the inside of the glass envelope to create light.  Standard CFLs are hot cathode light bulbs.

In a cold cathode fluorescent light bulb, the cathodes are made of a solid metal thimble, which is more durable than the thin coils in standard CFLs.  The cathodes only heat up to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit (certainly not “cold”, but relatively cooler than the hot cathode filament, hence the name).  The voltage potential within the tube excites the mercury to cause current flow. Continue reading »

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