subject: Replacing Your Old Bulbs [print this page] Light bulbs are all the separates us from primates. Light bulbs and opposable thumbs. And cars maybe. But light bulbs definitely factor in. One of the things that we must remember is that for close to 100 years the light bulb didn't change. It more or less burned away un-thought of in lamps and overhead. Now there are several huge campaigns asking us to change out style of bulb! The more you know about lighting, the better off you will be.
Incandescent bulbs are, in essence, the same bulb Edison worked on. Honestly, not a lot has changed about them. The thing that makes them so "evil" to the green folk of the world is simply the fact that they are not at all recyclable and are not very energy efficient. Looking at them as Satan in glass probably isn't a healthy thing, but replacing them with something a lot more efficient is.
Fluorescent bulbs are like tubes. There's no other way to describe them. While they offer a better, cheaper alternative to incandescent bulbs, they play havoc with your complexion. But hey, at least Pasty Joe can read his book at lunch. These are mostly used in commercial and industrial facilities
Halogen bulbs are some of the most expensive bulbs per capita as far as "conventional lighting" goes. They do burn very hot though and are often used to keep things warm when needed. They burn a lot of energy as well. In other words, these are an electrical "hog."
Low pressure sodium lamps are a great alternative to fluorescent lighting for a couple of different reasons. The yellow light doesn't make one look like they have never seen the sun, they are energy efficient and long lasting. It's the last two reasons as to why you are seeing them replace the older industrial style lights.
LED lights (light emitting diode) are another common replacement for incandescent bulbs. These are very high efficiency and will save you no end of money as a result. These lights are so low energy/ high efficiency that there are many hand cranked units available for camping and the like. When you consider that while stopping what you are doing and cranking a handle every so often can be a little bit of a hassle, it's better than paying for (or dumping) hundreds of thousands, no MILLIONS, of batteries a year.
Compact fluorescent lamps are what is commonly replacing the standard incandescent light bulb. These bulbs are more or less fluorescent lights in a compact package. They are highly efficient, produce next to no heat and since they last longer a better bargain all the way around.
One strategy to replacing all of your bulbs is simply to replace them as needed. An added benefit of these new lighting alternatives is simply that no special considerations in the way of equipment has to be taken into account. Remember, the sooner you get all your bulbs replaced, the quicker you will see your electric bill drop. Good luck to you friends and happy lighting.
