Light BulbsWhen lighting your home it is not only the style of lighting that you need to consider, but also the variety of light bulb you use. Choosing the right bulb is imperative in both helping to save energy and also saving you money.Incandescent light bulbs are the most widely available variety and are the epitome of a regular 'light bulb'. They come in a huge variety of shapes, styles and wattage, are incredibly cheap to purchase, give of a pleasant yellow-toned light and can be used in almost any light fitting and with any form of lighting control. Incandescent bulbs contain a tungsten filament which is heated until it emits light. Although, because of their simple composition, incandescent bulbs are relatively inexpensive to purchase outright, they are the most expensive form of lighting to power - this is because they use heat to produce light. Only 15% approx. of the energy produced is in the form of light, the rest is wasted as heat given off to the surrounding environment. For this reason they are incredibly inefficient as they require a high wattage (amount of power) to produce a relatively low amount of light. Because of the high temperatures required to produce heat, incandescent light bulbs have a short life span, normally burning out after less than 1000 hours and need replacing frequently. Despite their inefficiency incandescent bulbs are used in most homes as a simple lighting solution. Halogen bulbs are a form of incandescent lighting with a few alterations which makes them slightly more efficient. They also heat a tungsten filament until it produces light although this is encased in a small quartz envelope as halogen bulbs reach too high a temperature to use glass. Housed inside the envelope is halogen gas; when this combines with atoms of tungsten vapour instead of depositing on the walls of the bulb, it returns to the filament. This process is known as the Halogen Cycle and it is because of this that halogen light bulbs last on average 3 times longer than their regular incandescent counterparts and why they remain bright until they burn out. Although halogen light bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs they still waste the majority of their energy as heat so are not particularly energy or economically efficient. Low voltage halogen lights are available as well as a mains voltage version. These, however, require a transformer fitted in either remotely or in the light fixture itself and can be adversely affected by surges and variations in the power supply. Halogen bulbs are often used commercially or in the headlights of vehicles, when used around the home, they are excellent for providing targeted accent lighting. The intense white light they produce resembles sunlight and is perfect for use in torchieres and cable lights. The only consideration, aside from their cost efficiency when deciding to use halogen lights is that they reach incredibly high temperatures and so can be a potential fire hazard. Aside from this, halogen lights are a more efficient and focused alternative to incandescent bulbs for use in accent lighting. Fluorescent bulbs are one of the most cost and energy efficient means with which to illuminate your home. They work by passing a current between two electrodes situated either end of a gas filled tube (usually containing argon and mercury vapour). Reactions between the electrons and the vapour produce ultraviolet photons which in turn react with the layer of phosphor coating the inside of the bulb; it is this which gives off light. As fluorescent lights do not use heat to create light, they are up to 6 times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs because they require a much lower level of power to create an equal amount of light. Where you would usually need a 60 watt incandescent bulb, you would only require a 15 watt fluorescent bulb. Although it is more expensive to purchase fluorescent bulbs than their incandescent counterparts, they last between 10,000 and 15,000 hours compared to the 1,000 hour maximum of incandescent bulbs. They are also vastly more cost efficient in terms of the energy they consume so although more expensive to purchase initially they will save you considerable amounts on your energy bill. In the home fluorescent tubes are only really practical for use in kitchens and hallways as they are not the most aesthetically pleasing light fixture and cannot be used in conjunction with dimmer switches. However, recent developments mean that compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are much more attractive options to use around the house as cost effective replacements of incandescent bulbs. CFLs are designed with an integral ballast (a device which controls the flow of energy through the fluorescent bulb) whereas fluorescent tubes require this to be housed separately within the light fixture. This modification means that CFLs can be used in any light socked which would normally house an incandescent bulb. This not only makes CFLs an energy and cost effective light source, but also a more viable alternative to incandescent bulbs. Many people are wary of using fluorescent lights in their home as they are often associated with a strobe-like flickering, delayed illumination and the casting of a cold white light. The replacement of magnetic ballasts in fluorescent lighting with an electronic version means that they now illuminate in less than a second and are flicker free. The variety of colours available includes those which mimic the tones of alternative forms of lighting; a warm white similar to the light cast by incandescent light is available, as is a cold white of a similar likeness to that produced by halogen bulbs In terms of both energy and cost efficiency, CFLs are the most versatile form of bulb with which to illuminate your home. |
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