If you’ve purchased light bulbs lately, you may have noticed that incandescent bulbs are back on the shelves. After legislation requiring lighting to be more efficient went into effect, bulb manufacturers went to work to make traditional bulbs work with less energy. Halogen bulbs were made to meet the standards as well. And for a few specialty light fixtures in your home, these might be the best options.
Still, neither incandescent nor halogen bulbs deliver near the energy savings of compact fluorescent light bulbs or light emitting diodes. And they still create a lot of heat in addition to light, which isn’t always bad in the winter but can make it hard to keep your home cool when it’s warmer outside.
For energy savings, CFLs and LEDs are pretty close, but LEDs take the lead and last up to 30,000 hours or longer. CFLs are still cheaper but LED prices continue to fall and Clark Public Utilities’ Simple Steps program brings savings right to the shelf with discounts on efficient bulbs at local stores. So look for the Simple Steps logo when you’re shopping for light bulbs to know you’re getting an instant rebate.
There are important differences between CFL and LED bulbs, though. CFLs take a moment to reach full light output, while LEDs turn on instantly. When a CFL burns out, it just goes dark, while an LED fades out steadily near the end of its life. CFLs need careful handling. They are breakable and contain a small amount of toxic mercury, making it important that the bulbs be disposed of properly by dropping off burned-out bulbs for recycling. The utility will accept screw-in CFL bulbs at any of its locations for recycling.
If a CFL breaks, follow the directions the EPA provides on its website at www.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl#instructions to clean it up safely. On the other hand, LEDs are hardier and you can toss them in the trash at the end of their very long lives.
The CFL recycling and exchange program run by Clark Public Utilities is changing to include LEDs. Through April, customers can continue recycling as many CFLs as they want and receive up to six new CFL bulbs per visit at Clark Public Utilities’ locations, as well as one free LED bulb. Starting in May, CFLs will be accepted for recycling and customers will receive one LED bulb per visit.
Lighting designers prefer LEDs because they can fit neatly into decorative fixtures and can easily be made in a variety of shapes and sizes. This makes them suitable for a wide range of lights, from reading lamps to chandeliers to streetlights. Designers also appreciate LED color quality and manufacturers are delivering cooler and warmer colors to the market. Locally it’s easy to find candelabra bulbs, dimmable LEDs and reflector-type bulbs for recessed canister lighting.
With LED prices dropping, you’ll find more of them in reasonably priced fixtures at lighting outlets, furniture and office stores. However, LED-based semiconductor technology keeps advancing. Now, energy-efficient lighting designs are expanding beyond bulbs toward flat-surface lights. This lighting source uses semiconductors called organic light-emitting diodes. Even more energy efficient, their flatness and flexibility allows designers to put low-profile lighting on just about any surface, for example a book light that rests directly on the page letting the reader see through and around it.
In the future, you’ll begin seeing wafer-thin lighting for use in the home and office. For today, consider swapping out incandescent or CFL bulbs for LEDs that turn on instantly, create virtually no heat, and can be found in all kinds of colors, shapes and sizes. And LEDs will light for years using a fraction of the energy needed for traditional bulbs.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
