Energy effecient bulbs.

[ecoclean]

I'm at the planning stages of a new home build, and I'm trying to make it as energy effecient as possible. Each of the rooms are wired for downlighters (about 100 in total) but when I started to enquire about fittings for them, I really wasn't prepared for the range of options (and advice) to choose from!

I had originally figured on using CFL type fittings in the ceilings, but the suppliers recommended that I go for 'cold cathode' reflector ceiling lamps instead - something to do with an improved level of brightness per lamp. Another guy in the same shop joined in and said that the light from cold cathode units is far too office like, and that I should hold out for an LED version instead. Then the boss joined in and said that, as a cost compromise, I should stick to standard fittings in the bedrooms, cold cathode in the office, and cfl downlighters in the other ceilings and lamps.

I never thought that chosing bulbs could be this confusing!!! Is their a compromise that works???

 

[toggleswitch]

Please keep the cost and availability of replacement lamps/bulbs in mind.

 

[retromom]

Hey Mark:

I haven't looked into LED much, but I have replaced all of my incandescent lighting with compact fluorescents; even the yellow "bug lites" outside.

The upside...energy efficiency, the bulbs are longlasting (I kept having to change the traditional bulbs constantly), and cool to the touch (no worrying about lampshades catching fire).

The downside...initially the bulbs are dim, eventually "ramping up" to full their brightness. I'm still having to get used to the light they cast, as they are not quite as bright as traditional incandescent bulbs. Sometimes I feel as if I'm in the office scene in "Joe Versus the Volcano".

Please pass along any information on the LED's. I would love to see an alternate choice to the fluorescents.

 

[petek]

I've never even heard of cold cathode lights. Just the name alone rings "expensive" and "hard to find" replacements a couple of years down the road. However as implausible as it sounds I could very well be wrong. Beta, 8 tracks, Selectavision, cold cathode LOL

 

[Cybrvanr]

LED's have a bright future, but have not really caught on yet, and are still expensive. LED's also have a very silvery white appearance to them that may not be desirable for home lighting. As of yet, this issue has not been solved. They do have the advantage of dimming capability however, and because of this, they are catching on for stage / theater applications, especially ones that require colors. LED's give out about twice the amount of light that an incandescant lamp will give off, and right now, are still very expensive. Another issue with LED's is that they are highly directional, and put out a pinpoint of light, not a broad wash of light, which sometimes isn't bad depending on what your application is.

flourescents give the highest lumen per watt rating right now, so a CFL or a Cold cathode choice is probably the way to go for efficiency. They put out 5-6 times more light than an incandescant. They can also be had in a wide variety of color tempratures if you don't like the standard "cool white" color. I wouldn't worry too much about what your electrician said because you can always change the bulb to the desirable color. If you desire to dim the fixtures, you're out of luck with CFL's unless you want to spend big bucks for dimmable ballasts. A better alternative is to install several low-wattage fixtures (versus a few very bright ones), and have them grouped together so that you only need to turn on the lamp(s) you need for a specific task or brightness level. Fluorescents are the opposites of LED's in the fact that they are not directional at all and cast a broad wash of light. Some fluorescent fixtures have reflectors which help, but they will never be as directional as a halogen spotlight bulb, or an LED.

A big thing to keep in mind: Make sure you use fixtures that all use the same type of bulb. Having to stock a hundred different odd and unusual bulbs can be expensive and challenging!

 

[sudsmaster]

I would go for traditional medium screw type lightbulb fixures - you'll always be able to find bulbs of some sort to fit them.

CFL are getting smaller, and brighter. I can buy a 4-pack of 100 watt equivalent (23 watt actual power) Philips CFL's at Costco for under $5. These light up fairly rapidly and give a very nice bright warm light. These 100 watt equiv. bulbs are no larger than 60 watt CFL's of a few years ago.

The problem with LED's, in addition to cost/scarcity, is that they tend to have rather poor color rendition. So things could look quite unnatural under them. CFL's are getting better and better in that regard. Before you make a major decision to get LED's, take a color wheel or a sampling of your favorite colors. Compare how they look in dayight, traditional incandescent, warm white CFL's, and LED's.

 

[chromacolor]

I bought a whole bunch of flourescents to change over most of my bulbs. Home depot had a sale. I changed out my "office",bedroom, and basement. I did NOT change out the kitchen and bathroom as I did not like the light they put out in those rooms. Perhaps if I got another brand. The bulbs I bought were made in China AND I already had one burn out. I was not amused......

 

[sudsmaster]

In my humble opinion, the bulbs at Home Depot are somewhat lower quality and somewhat higher priced.

Costco, at least in California, has had the best deals on CFL's. These days you can pick up an eight pack of 60 watt replacements for less than $5. A four pack of 100 watt replacements for less than $5.

I prefer a whiter, cooler light for kitchen work. These types of CFL's used to be the norm but are are harder to find, since most people prefer "warm white", but Technabrite seems to have them. Costco has carried them from time to time; currently I can find them for sale on-line. I've also purchased lights for placement under the kitchen cabinets; these work great to light up work areas in kitchens and elsewhere. Last time I got some, they wre four for $20 - which works out to about the same price one might pay just for the replacement bulbs.

The freedom from having to replace incandescent light bulbs due to burn-out is, in my opinion, a major advantage of CFL's. Yes, there may be a 10% failure rate right out of the box, but those should be returned to retailer for refund or replacement.

 

[petek]

GE & Sylvannia both have "daylight" CFL's though I haven't tried them I'm using the Philips "cool whites" I prefer the whiter brighter light over the yellowish hue of warm white bulbs.

 

[washoholic]

Florescent bulbs

Like Venus, I too replaced all of my incandescent lighting with compact fluorescents, and the yellow "bug lites" outside are great.

Things to keep in mind when going all fluorescent:

Buy different brands to “test” before committing and changing all of your lighting. Some lights turn on pretty bright and come up to full brightness very quickly. Others turn on very dim and come up to full brightness slowly (These are great for a bedroom lamp. If you wake up in the middle of the night and turn on the lamp then they won’t blind you, since they come up to full brightness gradually). Some turn on instantly while others take a second before the light illuminates.

Don’t stock up. There are constant improvements. The first ones were long and did not fit in some fixtures (1st 2 from the left). Then they got smaller (3rd from the left). The new ones are shorter and even look like incandescent light bulbs (The spiral is covered w/ an opaque white covering. 4th from the left). Now they make small ones for vanity lighting and large ones to replace flood lights. Recently the colors vary from “cool” to “warm” to “soft white.” The far left bulb is dimmable & the far right bulb is a standard incandescent for comparison.

Pay close attention to the package before purchasing. Some are not designed for ceiling fixtures (The part you screw in is on top and the white part is on the bottom as opposed to a lamp where the screwed in part is on the bottom and the white part where the light comes from is on top.) Some are designed for enclosed fixtures and some are not.

The watt usage varies by brand. Some brands put out the same amount of light which is called lumens, but the watt usage may not be the same.

Rich (sudsmaster) is correct that they do not always work right out of the package, so be sure and test them when you buy them. Most stores are good about letting you return them if they fail new or even if they do not last as long as the package claims. I’ve had a few that did not work right out of the package, but only 1 in 5 years has burned out from use which was returned for a replacement with no problem.

Overall I like them. They save energy and since they last so long; they are great for hard to reach areas such as cathedral ceilings.

Jeff

 

[sudsmaster]

In my experience, the CFL's with outer enclosures (they look more like regular bulbs) tend to warm up more slowly than the ones with exposed tubes. The enclosed ones, however, may be more suited to low temps such as one might encounter out of doors, and they may also be more suited to enclosed fixtures.

I will look for Sylvania and GE daylight CFL's. Daylight type seems to give the best color rendition.

 

[frigilux]

LIke Venus, I changed my entire household over to compact fluorescent bulbs about a year ago. No regrets. I bought all mine at Home Depot and none have burned out. The wattage saved is substantial.