image by Daniel Rutter
Hopefully everyone should already know the pros and cons of incandescent light bulbs by now, yes they are the cheapest bulbs to buy, but 70-80% of the heat prduced by the bulb is wasted to produce the heat as opposed to producing light. Some of the alternatives to using incandescent light bulbs are fluorescent bulbs, CFLs, Halogens, LEDs, and dimmers. The incandescent light bulb is suppose to be phased out of the U.S. market in 2012 under a energy law. New Zealand and Australia have even stricter regulations in place to phase out incandescents by 2010. Fluorescent light bulbs used magnetic ballasts that regulate the flow of electrical current through the tubes, were the first generation of energy-efficient bulbs but had problems such as humming sounds, werent dimmable and had harsh colors. The new choice is CFL or compact fluorescent light, uses gas and ultraviolet light with a white phosphor coating on the tube to produce the lighting. CFLs acn save 75% of the energy as incandescents and can also last 15 times as long. The problem with CFLs, however is that they contain mercury, a hazardous waste, meaning that the bulbs should not be tossed in the trash and need to be brought into CFL recycling places such as Ikea.
Halogens are a type of incandescent bulb but it uses 20% less energy and can last 3 times as long as a regular incandescent light bulb. At one point in time, everyone was using halogen lamps as they were nice and bright but then they became fire hazards since the bulb gets extremely hot. Fires got started from the bulbs and people stopped using them but now that being energy efficient is more important, we may see more people going back to using halogen lamps once again.
Here is a good FAQ on CFL bulbs.
Below is a list of the pros and cons from the SFGate article.
Incandescent bulb
Pros: Traditional lightbulb introduced by Thomas Alva Edison in the 1880s is probably in your home right now, providing diffuse, warm light.
Cons: Inefficient. Under fire because of state and federal regulations that stipulate more efficient lighting.
Worth noting: Roughly 80 percent of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb goes to produce heat rather than light.
Price: $1 or less per bulb.
CFL
Pros: Compact fluorescent light, the newest fluorescent choice, uses as much as 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb and lasts as much as 15 times as long. Some are dimmable and don’t hum, buzz or flicker.
Cons: Can have a greenish, bluish cast to the light. Fluorescent lights contain mercury, a hazardous waste, which California bans from landfills, meaning you can’t just toss them into the trash or recycling bin.
Worth noting: Lighting designer Randall Whitehead recommends the CFL line from Technical Consumer Products, which he says mimics the warmer hue of an incandescent.
Price: TCP bulbs cost $3.80-$13.
Halogen
Pros: A type of incandescent bulb that uses about 20 percent less energy – and lasts roughly three times as long – as a traditional incandescent. Clean, bright white light.
Cons: Extremely hot compared with a traditional incandescent and must be kept at least 6 inches from flammable materials.
Worth noting: Direct, rather than diffuse light, which makes halogen lights better suited to task lighting.
Prices: A 75-watt “double envelope” bulb made by Westinghouse costs about $10.
LEDs
Pros: Energy-efficient light-emitting diodes last as long as 50,000 hours. (That’s 17 years if the lights are turned on for eight hours a day.) They come in an incredible variety of colors.
Cons: Lack of availability and relatively high cost.
Worth noting: Have been used for years in home appliances, traffic lights, etc. They emit negligible ultraviolet light and provide sharp, focused light.
Price: GE MR-16 (mirror reflective) is $10.
Dimmers
Pros: Prolong the life of a bulb and are required in new home construction in California under Title 24.
Cons: None.
Worth noting: Lighting experts advise using bulbs that can be dimmed (look at the bulb packaging) with dimmable fixtures.
Price: Do-it-yourself dimmer plates can be found for less than $6
