he cost of lighting the average home is about 30% of the home’s total electrical bill. Replacing incandescent bulbs with more energy- efficient lights can reduce those costs significantly. But a trip to the local hardware store reveals such a confusing array of options, claims and prices that it is hard to know what to buy. So, let’s shed some light on, well, light! We may as well get used to it; incan- descent bulbs will soon be a thing of the past. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act begins the phase out on January 1, 2012, beginning with the 100 watt bulb. By 2014, the 40- 60- and 75-watt bulbs will also be phased out. It might be hard to get used to, but it’s a good thing. Of the electricity used in a 100-watt bulb, 80% generates heat and only 20% creates light. So we’re doing a better job of heating our home with incandescent bulbs than we are lighting it! LEDs, (low-emitting diodes) by contrast, are the exact opposite— 80% light and 20% heat! So, okay, we give up our incandescent bulbs but what best replaces them? We’re used to watts. We all understand
T
how bright a 40-, 60- or 100-watt bulb is. How do we compare CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) and LEDs? The claims made on lighting packages are often confusing, misleading and sometimes downright false. So if a package says its 13-watt CFL is the replacement for a 60-watt bulb, how do we know whether it is or not? We can know if we compare lumens rather than watts. Watts tell us the amount of energy a bulb uses. Lumens
measure the amount of light emitted by that bulb. Lumens per watt are the number of lumens produced by each watt of energy. Like miles per gallon, lumens per watt give us an efficacy rating. The more lumens produced per watt of power, the more energy and cost-efficient the bulb is.
So, let’s compare. The figures below
are approximate and vary from one manufacturer to another, but the numbers are representative.
COMPARISON OF WATTS AND LUMENS Incandescent
CFL # Watts # Lumens Lumens per watt Life of bulb in hours 60 865 14 l/w 800–1000 13 825 63 l/w 8,000–12,000
LED 13 675 52 l/w 30,000–50,000!!
The House & Home Magazine
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