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What Light Bulb Do I Need For My Car – Watts plan? LED, CFL, Halogen and More Bulbs were easy to buy. But the transition to more energy-efficient lighting means choosing from an array of products. We help you navigate the world of the 21st century light bulb.
(From left) Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs. Many people find that choosing the right light bulb has a learning curve. iStockphoto Hide caption
What Light Bulb Do I Need For My Car
(From left) Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs. Many people find that choosing the right light bulb has a learning curve.
Compact Fluorescent Lamp
Buying a light bulb was once a common thing. Now he is a brainy comedian; The transition to more energy efficient lighting means choosing from a wide range of products.
A 60-watt incandescent bulb, for example, gives off 800 lumens of light. And LED bulbs, which are more energy efficient than their incandescent counterparts, can produce the same amount of light using as little as 10 watts.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that if every household were to replace just one light bulb with an “Energy Star” rated LED or CFL (compact fluorescent), Americans would save nearly $700 million a year in energy costs.
But with so many types of bulbs with different price points and lifespans now on the market, many consumers are confused.
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Questions about the bulb, we got earful. So we called Noah Horowitz, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Center for Energy Efficiency, to answer your frequently asked questions.
(We should note that the Natural Resources Defense Council, a noofit environmental organization, is a big supporter of energy efficiency lighting. It receives a small percentage of funding from federal grants, including one from the EPA Energy Star program to accelerate the transmission of energy. – efficient equipment.)
For more information on light bulbs – the different types available, how long they last and their cost over the life of the bulb –
Why do some CFLs die so quickly? The whole seven year life thing seems random. I have bulbs that last for years but some die within a year.
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Since not all CFLs are created equal, buy only those with the Energy Star logo. The bulbs are not only efficient but also meet the performance requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency and must pass various tests including longevity. Switching your CFL on and off frequently can shorten its life. Additionally, CFLs may not turn on or reach their full brightness in very cold temperatures.
Everyone I’ve talked to says they just throw dead CFLs in the trash. Isn’t this a landfill problem? Will we start hearing about dangerous levels of mercury in soil and water in a few years?
CFLs have very low levels of mercury in them, now as low as 2 mg per bulb. Consumers should take advantage of free CFL recycling programs offered by reputable retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. You should also be aware that although incandescent bulbs do not contain mercury, they cause more mercury to be released into the environment than coal-burning plants, as they use four times as much energy as CFLs to produce the same amount of light. .
I have at least three lights that use a three-way bulb (50/100/150), and I like to have options in terms of brightness. Is there a CFL or LED version of the three-way bulb?
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If you want to have different levels of light and use an energy saving bulb, you have two good options. If you have a three-way socket, you can buy a three-way CFL that will produce low, medium and high light, just like your old incandescent bulb did. If your design is dimmable, almost all LED lights can be dimmable and you can enjoy more flexibility.
The good news is that there is an energy-efficient CFL or LED for almost every socket. These include candelabra or fire-shaped bulbs, as well as round-shaped bulbs that are often used in bathroom vanities above the sink. Candelabras and universal CFLs have been around for years, and LED designs are coming online now, too.
I have sockets that don’t take anything higher than a 60-watt bulb. If I use LEDs or CFLs, can I use brighter bulbs? For example, a 13 watt CFL is equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent. Is it OK to use a 23 watt CFL instead? That would give me the equivalent of a 100 watt incandescent.
Fixtures have safety ratings and one should not put in bulbs that exceed the rated rating on the label (such as “do not exceed 60 watts”). As long as you don’t put a bulb that uses more than 60 watts in that socket you’ll be fine.
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The good news is energy-saving light bulbs that replace 60-watt incandescents will only use 10 to 15 watts, depending on the actual bulb you buy, and provide the same amount of light. If you want more light, you can step up to a 23-watt CFL that will produce as much light as the old 100-watt bulb did, while still staying under the 60-watt blackout. You shouldn’t, however, install a 100-watt bulb, as that can cause a fire hazard.
Are there some areas in the home where you would recommend CFLs over LEDs or vice versa, such as in outdoor equipment that is exposed to high temperatures? Or on the indoor lights?
CFLs do not work well in cold weather and may even start, so they are not a good choice for a porch light or other outdoor sockets in cold weather. We recommend that users choose LED lights for use in recessed cans and downlights as they are best used as directional lights, and for sockets that are connected to a dimmer.
For those bulbs that aren’t used frequently and aren’t turned on and off frequently, CFLs are probably your best bet. On the contrary, put LEDs in hard-to-reach sockets, as they last up to 25 years (with use of three hours a day), and you will avoid the problem of changing bulbs for a very long time.
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Are there any risks to placing LED lights in sealed fixtures or in cans mounted on my ceiling? Can they overheat?
The electronics inside the LED can fail if exposed to very high temperatures. LED reflectors are specially designed to withstand the high temperatures found inside sealed cans, downlights or domes in your ceiling. If you put an LED in a closed device, it can shorten its life. Look for those that are labeled as suitable for use in closed repair.
I don’t understand color temperature. “Noon” made walking down my hallway to the bathroom feel like walking into jail. How do we decide, before buying, if the light from a bulb is “good” – that is, not too bright, bright enough and diffuse enough?
CFLs and LEDs come in different “flavors” of light. If you want to replicate the old yellow-white light that your incandescent gave off, look for bulbs that are marketed as “soft white” or “warm white.” Conversely, if you want the light to have more of a blue-white color, then choose a lamp that is marketed as “daylight.”
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Before you go out and turn off all the light bulbs in your house, we recommend you try one of each and see which one you like. Although CFLs, when they were first introduced 20-plus years ago, did not produce a pleasant light, today’s CFLs are much improved and in many cases you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference from your old light. As for LEDs, we find people love everything about them including the quality of the light, except the purchase price – which fortunately is coming down every day.
Most LEDs do not dim properly and simply turn off before reaching the minimum required level. Why? Will fading improve?
Dimmable LEDs will work with most, but not all, installed dimmers. In rare cases, you may need to replace your dimmer and install one that is specifically designed for LEDs and CFLs, which use four times less power than traditional incandescents. To earn the Star Energy label, dimmable lights must dim to 20 percent of full light output without flickering or flickering. As LEDs are still a new product, we expect future dimmable LEDs to perform better.
I love LED lights, but I feel like I’m getting burned. Why are LEDs still so expensive, especially the brighter ones? When will the price drop?
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The price of LEDs is falling rapidly. An LED bulb that replaces an old 60-watt incandescent that cost $40 a few years ago is down to $10 or more today. [Note: we recently purchased 60 watt equivalent LEDs at Home Depot for less than $5. Noah Horowitz believes this price reflects an immediate discount from local utilities.] Also remember that the $10 or $20 LED you just bought will save you $100 or more over the life of the bulb in the form of lower electricity costs.
Also, individual LEDs are getting more efficient, which
