Types Of Low Energy Light Bulbs

There can be few people left who remain unaware that conventional incandescent light bulbs are in the process of being totally eradicated. The driving force behind this is a worldwide agreement that targets reducing the amount of energy we all use and cutting down on heat and CO2 emissions. The net result is that we all need to get up to speed with a brave new world of low energy lighting.

The alternative lighting technologies boil down to just these two: Light Emitting Diodes (LED) or Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL).

While CFL bulbs have had the market to themselves for a while now, they also have some serious problems; they’re slow to start, deliver low quality light, cannot be dimmed or rapidly switched, are too big for many existing fittings, are expensive to make and contain toxic mercury vapour.

LED lights have been installed in toys and electronic gadgets for years now, but where proper domestic lighting is concerned they are very much the new kid on the block. However, they have caught up fast and currently out perform CFL on just about every measure you can think of, with none of those pesky drawbacks.

So is it a case of: you pay your money and you make your choice? Well in a word, yes. But first be aware that when it comes to lighting you pay twice; once for the light bulbs and again to power them.

Traditional incandescent lighting is based around the fact that while it is actually rather expensive to run, the bulbs themselves are (like many disposable products) inexpensive and have a short life. CFL light bulbs are a real improvement on this model, but LED’s bring a completely new model to the business of lighting. They are very cheap to run (10x cheaper in fact) and last much longer (20x) though the initial purchase price is by comparison quite high.

The payback on the cost of LED lights is rarely above 2 to 3 years and not uncommonly within 1 year, and thereafter the savings are very substantial. In fact, the economics of LED lighting are such that the lighting industry has already switched its combined weight behind this technology and all but abandoned CFL. The question now is, which are you going to pick?

So what’s the best way to get started with LED? The first thing to get straight is that you cannot replace bright incandescent lamps with cheap 1w and 2w LED bulbs. It’s a recipe for disappointment and a waste of money. Where LED is concerned, quality costs but it also pays in the end – look to replace for example each 50w halogen lamp with a fairly expensive 4w to 6w LED. The process is simplicity itself: remove old bulb and insert new bulb.

Probably the simplest way to begin is by replacing GU10 and/or MR16 halogen spots – these are beyond the scope of bulky CFL’s anyway. Staying with the halogen theme, then replace G4 capsules – these are commonly found in desk lamps and other fittings where space is at a premium (another failure for CFL then).

Moving on, if you have T5 or T8 fluorescent tubes then LED equivalents are easily available to provide as good or arguably better light minus the flickering effect. Lastly, it is now possible to retrofit regular GLS bulbs (the sort found in ceiling pendants and table lamps) with LED globe bulbs designed to fit conventional Bayonet and Edison screw sockets.

If you found this article interesting then this additional article examines GLS LED replacements and other specific aspects in greater detail.